The NFL has released its list of players invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

A total of 319 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s event, which will take place in Indianapolis from February 23 through March 2.

Among them are 43 former players from schools in the West. Oregon accounts for nine of them, followed by USC with seven. Utah and Washington each have five, and Arizona State has four. No other program has more than three.

West Indies’ players celebrate after winning an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between England and West Indies, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie broke through England’s middle order as the West Indies secured a 30-run win in their T20 World Cup match in Mumbai on Wednesday.West Indies posted 196 for 6, built around Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 76, with support from Jason Holder in the final overs.England were bowled out for 166 in 19 overs in reply. They began the chase quickly, but Motie, who mixes left-arm orthodox and wrist spin, dismissed Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook in a spell of 3 for 33.England slipped from 85 for 2 in the eighth over to 131 for 5 in the 14th when Brook was out for 17. Sam Curran tried to keep the chase alive with 43 not out from 30 balls but ran out of partners.The result gave West Indies their second win in two matches and moved them to the top of Group C in the race for the Super Eights.England started strongly as Phil Salt took 24 runs from Jason Holder’s first over, hitting two sixes and three fours to move the score to 31 without loss after two overs. Salt made 30 before being caught by Rutherford off Romario Shepherd in the fourth over.England reached 67 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, with Jos Buttler on 15 and Bethell on 20. Buttler hit a six off Roston Chase but was caught in the deep by Rovman Powell for 21.Banton was out for 2 for the second match in a row, and when Bethell fell for 33, both to Motie, England were 90 for 4. Motie then dismissed Brook, caught and bowled for 17, leaving England 131 for 5 after 14 overs.Earlier, Rutherford and Holder added 61 runs for the sixth wicket in 32 balls. Rutherford struck seven sixes and two fours, while Holder made 33 with four sixes and a four.Rashid was England’s most effective bowler with figures of 2 for 16 from four overs.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustration with Al Nassr and the Saudi Pro League has taken center stage amid a growing dispute over the club’s transfer policy and the broader financial dynamics within the league.

The 41-year-old Portuguese superstar, who celebrated his birthday on Thursday, is increasingly upset with the lack of investment in his team during the January transfer window. Sources indicate that Ronaldo had expectations for Al Nassr to make major moves to bolster their squad, but those hopes were dashed as the club refrained from any significant signings. This led him to take drastic action: sources confirmed that he planned to boycott a second consecutive game as a protest against the lack of commitment from the Saudi Pro League’s governing body, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), to make necessary changes in the management of his club.

Ronaldo’s Frustrations: A Lack of Investment in Al Nassr

Ronaldo’s grievances are largely centered around the lack of financial backing from the PIF, the powerful sovereign wealth fund which owns a 75% majority stake in both Al Nassr and Al Hilal, one of the league’s biggest rivals. The Portuguese forward, renowned for his competitive spirit, has openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that the PIF chose to invest heavily in Al Hilal while neglecting Al Nassr, despite the club’s growing ambitions under Ronaldo’s leadership.

While Ronaldo’s current team struggled to make any substantial signings, their league competitors, Al Hilal, made a headline-grabbing acquisition by signing his former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, from Al Ittihad. This transfer sparked further discontent within Ronaldo, who was reportedly frustrated that Al Nassr did not make similar moves to strengthen their squad.

The Saudi Pro League’s Response: Independence of Clubs

In the wake of Ronaldo’s discontent, the Saudi Pro League issued a statement to clarify its position. The league emphasized that each club operates independently under the same set of financial guidelines, designed to maintain a sustainable and competitive environment.

A spokesperson for the league stated: “The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: Every club operates independently under the same rules… Decisions on recruitment, spending, and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance.”

The league also pointed out that the PIF’s involvement in club finances was not as direct as it might seem. The PIF does not directly provide funds for player acquisitions. Instead, it oversees a central player acquisition fund that distributes money to clubs based on their size. 
All of the top clubs, including Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, reportedly received an equal share of the fund ahead of the 2023-24 season. Al Nassr had already spent a large portion of their player acquisition fund in the summer, bringing in high-profile names like João Félix and Kingsley Coman. These signings, along with Ronaldo’s renewed contract, left the club with limited funds for further investment in the winter transfer window.

Despite the claims of financial parity, it’s clear that the discrepancies in spending have led to growing tensions between Ronaldo and his club. Al Hilal, with a separate private investor backing their transfer activity, spent significantly to bring in Benzema, leaving Al Nassr feeling sidelined in the race for big-name signings.

Business and Competitive Dynamics

The business angle here reveals an underlying issue in the structure of the Saudi Pro League’s financial distribution. While the top clubs have received equal share from the central fund, their access to additional funds varies. Al Nassr’s inability to attract private investors like Al Hilal is part of a wider trend in the Saudi Pro League. The private investments that fueled Al Hilal’s Benzema signing, for instance, are not available to all clubs, creating an uneven playing field.

Ronaldo’s frustration highlights a crucial moment for the Saudi Pro League, which is trying to balance its ambition to become a top destination for football talent with the reality of financial sustainability. Al Nassr’s failure to match Al Hilal’s spending power has placed Ronaldo in a difficult position, feeling that his personal goals and aspirations for the club are being hindered.

While the Saudi Pro League wants to establish itself as a competitive and high-profile league, it faces challenges regarding the management of its financial resources. The failure of Al Nassr to attract additional investment, combined with their limited spending capacity, has exposed vulnerabilities in the league’s financial setup. These issues have brought Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction to the forefront, and his decision to boycott matches further highlights the deepening divide between him and the powers that be at Al Nassr and the league.

Ronaldo’s Response: The Boycott

Ronaldo’s decision to sit out Al Nassr’s previous match against Al Riyadh and potentially miss another game against Al Ittihad is seen as a direct protest against what he perceives as the lack of commitment from the PIF and Al Nassr’s management. His stance could have wider ramifications for the club’s reputation, as it would be a blow to their title hopes to have their star player sidelined for key matches.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo’s availability for Friday’s match, Al Nassr continued to praise their star player, posting a glowing tribute to him on social media for his birthday. The club wrote:

“The legend only grows. Your commitment, mentality, and leadership drive our dreams forward. Happy Birthday @Cristiano!”

This public show of support, however, may not be enough to calm the tensions that have been simmering between Ronaldo and the club. His decision to potentially boycott more games is a clear message that he is unhappy with the direction the club is taking, and he wants more support in the form of investments to improve the team’s chances of competing at the highest level.

Whats next for Ronaldo?

As things stand, the tension between Ronaldo and Al Nassr is far from resolved. The Saudi Pro League’s efforts to manage a balanced competition through financial parity have had unintended consequences, especially when it comes to attracting the top-tier talent that Ronaldo expects. With the title race still wide open and several teams vying for supremacy, the impact of Ronaldo’s absence and the broader financial dynamics of the league could shape the future of the competition in unexpected ways.

Ronaldo’s protest is not just about his personal frustrations but also reflects broader issues within the Saudi Pro League’s business model. His influence as one of the world’s most marketable athletes means his dissatisfaction is likely to be felt not only at Al Nassr but across the entire league. How the Saudi Pro League addresses these challenges in the coming months will likely determine whether it can continue to attract global superstars and remain competitive on the world stage.

Luke Littler is not feeling any pressure after losing his opening match in the Premier League last week.

The 19-year-old was beaten on night one in Newcastle by Gian van Veen, who gained some revenge for his heavy World Championship final defeat in January.

Things do not get much easier for Littler in Antwerp on Thursday as he faces Luke Humphries in the opening match.

The pair have embarked on a great rivalry in the last two years and faced each other nine times in last season’s tournament alone.

Littler most recently beat Humphries in the World Masters final at the start of the month, where his opponent called him “the greatest dart player to ever live”.

Littler was due to speak to the media on Wednesday afternoon but the press conference was cancelled at short notice, without reason.

However, in a short interview with Sky Sports, he said: “Every stage is different in my opinion.

“I’m not under any pressure and I don’t need to put pressure on myself.

“I know I lost to Gian on night one, but last year I lost to Michael van Gerwen as well.

“There’s still 15 weeks left, so as long as I get into the top four, that’s all that matters.”

Van Veen believes ending his Littler hoodoo last week will set him up for a successful campaign.

The Dutchman was soundly beaten in the final at Alexandra Palace in January and then went down to him in the Saudi Arabia Masters later in the month.

But he defeated Littler in his Premier League debut before going on to lose the final against Van Gerwen.

Van Veen said: “I think the most important part is to win your first game, especially playing in this for the first time.

“It’s something you don’t want to do, spend three, four weeks not winning any games, and then it starts getting to you.

“So I think that was the most important part. But also to get one over Littler.

“I said it last week as well. Luke Littler is not someone you want to lose five or six matches in a row against, because then next time he will be 2-0 up against you already.

“So you need to bite back at him a couple of times. That’s what I did last week. So I think that’s going to help my campaign for the coming weeks as well.”

Van Veen will face off against Gerwyn Price, Van Gerwen takes on Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton versus Stephen Bunting completes the quarter-final line-up.

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees got elected as a first-ballot Hall of Famer this year. Brees announced his retirement in 2021 after two decades in the NFL.

While Brees has been away from the field for the last five seasons, the former quarterback said that he contemplated coming out of retirement during the 2025 season.

In an appearance on the “New Heights” podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Brees said that he thought about coming out of retirement after Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix‘s season-ending ankle injury against the Buffalo Bills. However, the former Super Bowl winner rejected the idea due to his shoulder and wrist issues.

“I’ve had some conversations,” Brees said. “Had some moments. I would say this, like, my body feels great, my mind sharp as ever, shoulder and wrist, not having it, and like, to the point where there was a moment this year where, literally, I was drinking a tequila and something happened where I thought there might be a chance I would play that week.

“I literally switched to water, and I started thinking about going to bed early and getting up the next day and, like, get my body nice and loose, and going out and throwing to see if I could even pull it off… I really think I’d still be playing if I if the shoulder and the wrist wouldn’t have, wouldn’t have started to let me down.”

Brees played 12 games for the Saints in his final NFL season, leading the team to a 9-3 record.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton sends heartfelt message to Drew Brees after HOF induction

While Broncos coach Sean Payton couldn’t call on Drew Brees after Bo Nix’s injury, he praised his former quarterback after his Hall of Fame induction. He shared a heartfelt message for Brees in an X post:

“He came when most were leaving…Set a bar so high for all of us….He lead immediately…. He’s OUR 1st Ballot HOF QB! Congratulations Drew Brees. Also, Congratulations to Your wife Brittany, Baylen, Bowen, Callen and Rylen. It was an honor to have coached you.”

Payton coached Brees for the majority of his 15 seasons he was with the Saints.