Claudio Ranieri was sacked on Thursday, less than 10 months on from guiding the club to a shock Premier League title win, with a number of reports suggesting senior players had confronted the board to demand the Italian’s dismissal. Mahrez branded a ‘snake’ over Ranieri Kasper Schmeichel denied that such a meeting took place, while striker Jamie Vardy described the claims as “extremely hurtful” as he paid tribute to Ranieri’s efforts in a heartfelt social media message....

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais to promote his book A Promised Land, Obama compared the reluctance of the White House administration to accept defeat to Joe Biden with the aftermath of the 2016 election that put Trump in office. Obama said he had called to congratulate Trump on the night of his victory and made immediate plans to help the new administration, having learnt from the assistance offered by his predecessor George W....

Obama, for one, knew the forecast. In choosing to visit a conservative synagogue in one of the country’s most densely Jewish congressional districts, the Illinois senator sought Thursday evening to combat misconceptions about his background and beliefs within what’s proven to be one of his most skeptical constituencies. Signs of the coming tempest were apparent as early as January, when Vicki Hercsky, 47, a local teacher, told me after a Rudy Giuliani event a nearby shul that Obama, a Christian, was “Muslim....

Ocasio-Cortez joined thousands of Trump critics online in criticizing Ivanka after the French government released a viral video of the senior White House advisor attempting and failing to insert herself into a conversation among world leaders at the G20 Summit on Saturday. Commenting on the video — which showed Ivanka being shunned while trying to join a conversation between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and International Monetary Fund leader Christine Lagarde — Ocasio-Cortez suggested that Ivanka was too unqualified to be at the event and was only present due to nepotism....

“White sharks along the eastern coast of the U.S. perform seasonal migrations, where they tend to move south during the fall and winter, so we would expect to see more white sharks in the Carolinas region during the fall and winter,” Yannis Papastamatiou, an expert in shark behavior at Florida International University, told Newsweek. “White sharks are coastal during this time of year and can come quite close to shore....

Clint Dempsey and the Seattle Sounders, who lost to L.A. in the Western Conference finals last season, are the second betting choice at 9-to-2 odds. The New England Revolution, last year’s runner-up, are third on the Westgate board at 8-to-1. New York City FC, a newcomer to the league, opens at 15-to-1 to win the championship, thanks largely to an influx of talent from overseas – David Villa from Spain and Frank Lampard from England....

Beckham Jr. has paid tribute to Takeoff who died at the age of 28 on Tuesday. According to his record label Quality Control Music, the rapper, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was hit by a “stray bullet” and killed. Celebrities have been paying tribute to Takeoff who was best known as one third, and later one half of the rap group Migos. The hip-hop community, actors, influencers, and athletes have all paid homage to Takeoff....

MORE: NFL players wives and girlfriends The Giants receiver said that when the photos from Memorial Day weekend came out via TMZ, it nearly destroyed a relationship with another woman he is seeing. “We were in the kitchen of the house, where there was only 15 people. It’s just kind of like … ‘dating?’ I just met this person. This is maybe the second conversation we’ve had,” Beckham told GQ of the Kardashian pics....

The Black Stars who are eyeing a fifth African title will begin their campaign against Uganda at the Stade de Port-Gentil on Tuesday. And Pinnick whose administration has seen the Nigeria senior national team miss two Afcon tournaments seems to be rooting for Ghana to emerge as champions. He paid a courtesy call to the Black Stars’ camp on Monday afternoon ahead of their clash with the Cranes in Port-Gentil....

Union spokesman George Atallah told The Associated Press on Monday that the “drug policies are currently getting finalized.” League and NFL Players Association attorneys and officials are reviewing the documents and could approve them this week. One key element is how the changes affect players currently under suspension, including Denver receiver Wes Welker (four games) and Browns receiver Josh Gordon (entire season). Their bans would be reduced, and the union wants to see that happen before Week 3 games are played....

The Packers opened as four-point favorites against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon, but the line has since moved to 3.5. The line, meanwhile, hasn’t moved for the Chiefs, who enter the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills as three-point favorites. On the face of it, there’s nothing surprising about oddsmakers considering Kansas City and Green Bay as the likeliest teams to meet in Tampa Bay on February 7 for Super Bowl LV....

Forty-yard dash times are stupid. MORE: NFL Combine results There, I said it. The main event of the NFL Combine is exciting and an easy story, sure, but a quick look at its history, coupled with the utilization of basic logic, shows judging a player based on his 40 time would be like judging a singer based on how loud their voice is. There are other factors involved. If you need more proof, check out the list of the fastest times in NFL Combine history, and who ran them....

We exist to pinpoint sleepers and high-value DFS picks each week by compiling a list of sleepers and/or dark-horse picks to help you win some cold, hard cash. The more value players you add, the more money you’ll have left for proven weekly studs at other roster spots. WEEK 11 DFS: Best stacks | Lineup Builder If you read this column last week, you would have benefited from our advice to plug low-cost, high-value players into your Week 10 DFS lineups....

Among our favorites? The kicker most-likely to miss a game-winning field goal and whether or not Landry Jones and Brock Osweiler will play the entire fourth quarter of Sunday’s Steelers-Broncos game. MORE: Divisional round picks from our guys in Vegas | NFL live odds page Update: MyTopSportsbooks.com has also released some off-the-wall props. Here they are: Odds a game is decided on a last-second field goal: 3/2 If there is a last-second, game-deciding field goal attempt, odds that it is … made: 1/2 missed: 2/1 Odds a game goes to overtime: 4/1...

At 6-6, 248 pounds and with a strong arm, Thomas could be groomed as an eventual replacement for 34-year-old Carson Palmer. MORE: Vinnie Iyer’s draft grades | Round-by-round picks | Images | Video Coach Bruce Arians had downplayed the idea of taking a quarterback in later rounds. "I lie pretty good," he said. But the team had Thomas in mind all along. "I didn't want anybody jumping in front of us," Arians said....

Jameis Winston is expected to be the No. 1 pick, but the remainder of the draft, including Marcus Mariota’s landing place, appears as unpredictable as ever. Here’s all you need to know about Round 1. NFL DRAFT: SN draft central | Final Mock | What your team is thinking NFL Draft first-round TV info Start time: 8 p.m. ET TV coverage: ESPN, NFL Network Online streaming: NFL.com Live Location: Auditorium Theatre in Chicago...

But there’s no guarantee any of them will actually select a quarterback, especially in a class where there is no consensus No. 1 or No. 2 prospect at the league’s most important position. MORE: Top 10 QBs in 2017 draft Given those teams’ recent track records, they also are unpredictable in addressing the position — which has played a big factor in their collective QB neediness. For now, those five teams have quarterbacks attached to them in many mock drafts....