One of the 26 people charged in an alleged bribery and point-shaving scheme to fix NCAA Division I men’s basketball games and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games has pleaded guilty, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced.
Jalen Smith, a 30-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Monday in connection with the scheme, as well as charges related to an unlawful possession of a firearm.
Smith pleaded guilty to bribery in sporting contests, and aiding and abetting, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is shown on Thursday, March 12, 2020.(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
An unsealed indictment back in January noted Smith was engaged in the scheme to influence or fix NCAA and CBA men’s basketball games from at least “in or about September 2022 through at least in or about February 2025.”
Co-conspirators enlisted Smith as a “fixer,” where they would work together with others to recruit and bribe NCAA Division I men’s basketball players to underperform and ensure their team failed to cover spreads during games from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
“Through various sportsbooks, Smith helped to arrange for large wagers to be placed on those games, betting against the team whose player or players they had bribed to engage in this point-shaving scheme,” the United States Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
“Smith and other fixers approached and communicated with the players, in person and through social media, text message communications, and cellular telephone calls, offering the players bribe payment, usually ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.”
With today’s college athletes being paid via name, image and likeness (NIL) brand deals, Smith and other fixers “specifically targeted college players for whom the bribe payments would meaningfully supplement.”
A generic view of a basketball on a court.(Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
It was found that more than 39 players on more than 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams were involved in the bribery and point-shaving scheme, with fixing or attempted fixing on more than 29 NCAA games.
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The fixers were making “wagers totaling millions of dollars,” with players who were involved collectively receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments.
Smith faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the bribery in sporting contests charge, up to 20 years for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum 15 years for the firearms charge.
NCAA president Charlie Baker responded to the point-shaving scheme in January.
NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is interviewed by Boston Globe Sports writer Chris Gasper at the Globe Summit 2023. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA. We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement.
Baker said the indictments were “not entirely new information to the NCAA,” as it had conducted “integrity investigations into approximately 40 student-athletes from 20 schools over the past year.”
Mumbai Indians’ (MI) stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav slammed a half-century in the team’s IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, April 4. DC won the toss and elected to field first at Arun Jaitley Stadium in the afternoon fixture.
MI started poorly, losing two early wickets. Pacer Mukesh Kumar dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Tilak Varma in the third over. Suryakumar came out to bat at No. 4 when Mumbai were reeling at 18/2 in 2.5 overs.
Suryakumar steadied the ship for Mumbai with his batting exploits on a two-paced pitch. He scored 51 runs off 36 balls at a strike rate of 141.67, with two sixes and three fours. It is worth noting that it was the 30th half-century of his IPL career.
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The 35-year-old redeemed himself after scoring just 16 runs off eight balls in MI’s opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He earned massive praise from fans for the knock. Here are some of the top reactions on X:
FIFTY FOR CAPTAIN Suryakumar Yadav 🫡 Surya’s IPL numbers are simply unmatched — the best in the business for Mumbai Indians this decade, excelling in one of the toughest batting roles in T20 cricket. #DCvsMI
🫡 SKIPPER Suryakumar Yadav LEADS THE WAY! – A composed 51 (36) with 3 fours & 3 sixes for Mumbai Indians 💥 Held his nerve in a tricky phase and guided the innings 🧊 True leader’s knock under pressure 👑 #SuryakumarYadav #MI #IPL2026 #CaptainKnock #Leadership
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@mufaddal_vohra Leading from the front when the chips were down. That’s why he’s the world’s best! 🌍🔥
FIFTY FOR CAPTAIN SURYAKUMAR YADAV. 🫡 Mumbai Indians at one stage 18/2 and he scored a excellent fifty when Mumbai Indians needed the most – Captain Surya leads from the front.
@mufaddal_vohra Surya’s 51 (35) might not trend like a quickfire fifties… but given the situation, this is the kind of knock teams rely on. 📈 #SuryakumarYadav #MIvsDC
Suryakumar Yadav added 53 runs off 40 balls with Rohit Sharma for the third wicket after the shaky start. The dynamic batter departed soon after his half-century. He got out lbw off Lungi Ngidi’s bowling in the 16th over after being undone by the lack of bounce.
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Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century helps MI cross 160-run mark
Suryakumar Yadav was the top performer with the bat for Mumbai. The side posted 162/6 after 20 overs. Rohit Sharma (35 off 26) and Naman Dhir (28 off 21) also chipped in with important contributions.
Mukesh Kumar picked up two wickets, while Lungi Ngidi, Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam, and T Natarajan claimed one scalp apiece. Meanwhile, MI are currently placed fifth in the points table. They kicked off their campaign with a six-wicket victory over KKR.
DC also began their season with a win, beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets in their opening game. They occupy the fourth spot in the standings.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) surveys the field and prepares for the snap, scanning coverage and setting the offense as defenders align across from him Sep 29, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, during a matchup against the Washington Commanders with pace and decision-making central to the offensive approach. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
Kyler Murray unmistakably has the talent to thrive with any NFL team; that’s just the way it goes for a man who averages about 4,000 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and 600 rushing yards every 17 starts. It’s not a controversial take. But here’s why he’ll succeed with the Vikings — what Minnesota, as a franchise, brings to the table.
Murray enters a setup built for production, with O’Connell, protection, and top-tier playmakers around him.
The veteran passer will have to win a quarterback battle this summer against third-year youngster J.J. McCarthy, even if that already feels like a foregone conclusion.
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Minnesota’s Environment Sets Murray Up to Deliver
The evidence: why Murray will cook in the Twin Cities.
Detailed view of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s No. 1 jersey during game action, highlighting uniform elements and field presence Nov 26, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The image captures Murray’s on-field identity as the focal point of Arizona’s offense in a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings Just Finished 9-8
After a miserable 4-8 start in 2025, the Vikings rallied to win nine games, with one dub separating them from winning the NFC North if one assumes Minnesota could’ve also defeated the Green Bay Packers in Week 18. Green Bay rested its starters.
Meanwhile, the Vikings showcased the NFL’s fifth-worst quarterback play per Dropback EPA. It was a miracle they got to nine wins — a winning record — with such abysmal performance. If Minnesota could win nine games with the 28th-ranked quarterback stable, it should be able to win around 12 games with Murray in the saddle, assuming he stays healthy and plays semi-competently.
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Kevin O’Connell shed light this week on his mindset of the context in which he explained the Murray addition to McCarthy:
I was honest with him. I said, ‘We are going to elevate the room as a whole.’ We have enough data now to show, 2022, Kirk Cousins plays the majority of that season, we win 13 games, get an opportunity in the postseason. In 2024, with Sam Darnold, he plays every snap but two and we win 14 games. When we have a standard and consistency at that position, we’ve won a lot of football games.
You couple that with learning we’re 35-4 when we break even or better on the turnover margin in a game. There’s data to tell us we need to build our team a certain way in regards to our quarterback room whether it was bringing in a talented player like Kyler Murray at a really unique time in his career. I think he’s motivated, I think he’s experienced, I think he knows where he wants to go with his career. We wanted to bring in a player and give him an opportunity to not only compete, but see where he could take this thing.
That basically sums it up.
The Offensive Line Is Decent
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Minnesota finished the 2025 campaign with the league’s 18th-ranked offensive line. Injuries utterly ravaged the unit, so much so that the Vikings hardly ever had their full starting lineup on the field.
Of course, injuries could hit again in 2026, but the likelihood of almost every guy getting hurt for multiple games [again] is low. Therefore, checking in at No. 18 with a patchwork group suggests the unit can climb near the Top 12, if not better.
It’s a long way of saying that Murray’s protection will not be horrid. The personnel are there.
The Brian Flores-Led Defense Is Already Elite
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Flores rolled into town three years ago, and since, the Vikings have boasted the second-best defense in the world. In 2025, it ranked No. 3. The year prior? No. 2.
How does that apply to Murray? Simple:
Team Defense Ranking, Per EPA/Play, Since 2023:
Cardinals: 30th Vikings: 2nd
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Murray will go from the NFL’s third-worst defense to the second-best. That will matter.
The QB Whisperer Head Coach
O’Connell has unlocked these men to their fullest extent, or at least damn close:
Those who have not cooked with O’Connell:
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J.J. McCarthy
Jaren Hall
Max Brosmer
For some reason, O’Connell works best with veterans, though he doesn’t seem to transfer his quarterback whisperer reputation to rookies. With Murray, he gets a seven-year veteran who already has the speed, throwing accuracy, arm strength, and touch.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell stands on the sideline during a divisional road matchup, directing his team and managing game flow Sep 29, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The setting underscores the intensity of the NFC North rivalry as O’Connell leads Minnesota in a hostile environment against the Packers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
In all likelihood, Murray is in the best spot to thrive, with O’Connell strutting his stuff as the quarterback whisperer once again. It’s not like Murray is walking onto Mike Zimmer’s team.
The Offensive Weaponry
If you’re not quite sold, introduce yourself to the Vikings’ offensive playmakers:
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison celebrates a first-quarter touchdown with Justin Jefferson, energizing the home crowd early in the game Dec 8, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The duo’s connection helped spark offensive rhythm against the Atlanta Falcons, showcasing Minnesota’s dynamic passing attack. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Murray was not deprived of weapons in Arizona, but any team with Jefferson — and Addison thrown in for good measure — takes the cake from one’s previous situation.
All Murray has to do is get the ball to these men without major complications. His fifth-best completion percentage in NFL history is a decent indicator that it will happen.
The leaders of college sports’ most powerful conferences quickly aligned behind President Donald Trump’s latest executive order.
Commissioners from the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 all released statements on social media Friday evening unanimously thanking Trump for his executive action.
Trump’s EO directs federal agencies to potentially restrict funding for schools violating new, tighter rules on player transfers (limited to one) and eligibility (maximum five years), while curbing pay-for-play booster collectives and protecting women’s and Olympic sports funding.
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The conferences struck a consistent tone of appreciation for federal involvement, coupled with a renewed call for Congress to establish national standards governing college athletics, particularly with respect to athlete compensation, employment status and name, image and likeness (NIL) rules.
Big 10 Commissioner Tony Petitti wrote, “The Big Ten Conference would like to thank President Trump for his leadership and continuing efforts to protect college athletics and joins him in urging Congress to quickly pass legislation addressing the critical issues undermining its long-term stability.
“Consistent with President Trump’s executive order, the bipartisan SCORE Act thoughtfully addresses name, image, and likeness for student-athletes, protecting academic and athletic opportunities provided through women’s and Olympic sports programs, and expands resources to support student-athletes on and off the field.
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“We will continue to work with a broad coalition of college sports stakeholders and members of Congress to enact this legislation.”
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey wrote, “The establishment and enforcement of consistent national standards for college athletics remains a top priority, and President Trump’s executive order provides important clarity to help ensure all programs operate under comparable policies.
President Donald Trump’s FCC is seeking public comments on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services.(Getty Images)
“We are grateful for the President’s leadership and the continued, bipartisan engagement of members of the House and Senate on these key issues.
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“We support House of Representatives approval of the SCORE Act and meaningful Senate consideration of similar legislation to preserve academic opportunity for student-athletes and the long-term future of college sports.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark wrote, “Federal action is essential to protect the future of college athletics, and on behalf of the Big 12, we appreciate President Trump’s commitment to advancing a solution. To build on this momentum and provide long-term clarity and stability, Congress must now act.
“The bipartisan SCORE Act offers a comprehensive framework for many of the issues facing our industry, and I look forward to continue working with President Trump and Congress to enact meaningful reforms.”
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips wrote, “We deeply thank President Trump and his administration’s ongoing commitment to protecting college athletics by issuing today’s executive order. Following the White House’s college sports roundtable, there continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes, and we appreciate the efforts.
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“We remain optimistic that the SCORE Act, which would provide stability to college sports, will pass the House of Representatives in the near future.”
The executive order “directs Federal agencies to bolster the effectiveness of key college sports rules on transferring, eligibility, and pay-for-play by evaluating whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts.”
It also says that a “five-year participation window” will be enforced, along with “structured transfer rules” and a “banning (of) improper financial arrangements including pay-for-play agreements facilitated by collectives and similar entities.”
Trump’s executive order comes roughly a month after he hosted a roundtable addressing several hot-button issues with notable sports figures and officials.
The SCORE Act was at the forefront of the roundtable. It was scheduled to be voted on in December, but the vote was canceled shortly before it was to take place.
The White House endorsed the act, but three Republicans — Byron Donalds of Florida, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Chip Roy of Texas — voted with Democrats not to bring the act to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote against it.
The act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
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The president’s order from July prohibits athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. However, the order did not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources. It also demands that schools account for preserving resources for the non-revenue sports.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order during the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy presentation with the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
A month before Trump’s order, a judge approved a settlement between the NCAA, its most powerful conferences and lawyers representing all Division I athletes. The deal means the NCAA will pay close to $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to college athletes who competed from 2016 to 2025. The settlement also allows college programs to pay athletes directly.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Moses Itauma’s rise continues, and if it was up to him and ‘every heavyweight was free’, he be would turbocharging his career.
After becoming the first man to stop Jermaine Franklin, doing so inside five rounds with a highlight-reel uppercut, Itauma said his ideal next fight would be against the durable Filip Hrgovic. That is unlikely to be the case, with Hrgovic booked to fight Dave Allen next month.
Speaking on TalkSPORT in the days following, Itauma then named WBC, WBA and IBF champion Usyk as his ultimate target, but the unified champion will face Rico Verhoeven on May 23 and, perhaps more importantly, has been openly dismissive of facing the Brit. A suggestion of Michael Hunter, made by fellow heavyweight Derek Chisora, now may be one of the leading options.
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“In a perfect world I would’ve wanted to fight Hrgovic … If everybody was free, Usyk would be the one because he’s got the belts … Derek Chisora said me against Michael Hunter in America. That makes sense. Me and Michael Hunter in America would be decent. But I honestly don’t know. I’ve got a meeting with Frank Warren to find out my next date.”
Hunter – who lost to Usyk in the cruiserweight ranks before moving up to heavyweight – has been painfully inactive at the top level for some years, constantly teasing that he is targeting big fights but never quite delivering. Itauma would be an extreme test, and may be too high risk for the American without some bigger wins under his belt.
The Hrgovic fight may yet happen, just not next. If the Croatian beats Allen in May, he has said Itauma is one of the names in his contract alongside the likes of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois.
Friday’s women’s March Madness game between UConn and South Carolina saw an eruption of tempers boil over as two of the sport’s most legendary coaches got engaged in a heated sideline confrontation.
UConn’s Geno Auriemma and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley were seen shouting aggressively at each other in the closing moments of the game. South Carolina was on the verge of a 62-48 win in the Final Four, when, with South Carolina closing in on a 62-48 Final Four win, Auriemma approached Staley, and he began to speak to her aggressively, before the conversation devolved into quickly escalated into a visible shouting match.
After the game, Auriemma did not shake Staley’s hand.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma watches a play late in the second half of a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27, 2026.(LM Otero/AP)
Staley addressed the incident in an interview with ESPN immediately afterward.
“I have no idea, but I’m going to let you know this, I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity,” Staley said. “So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did, I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game, I didn’t know, I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand, I don’t know what we came with after the game, but hey sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
Auriemma was seen shaking Staley’s hand in ESPN footage before the game.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts to a play during the first half of a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27, 2026.(Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
Auriemma addressed the incident in the postgame press conference.
“I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today,” Staley said.
Meanwhile, Auriemma expressed displeasure with Staley and the referees during an in-game interview on ESPN.
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“There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us,” Auriemma said on the broadcast. “And they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, ’cause we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous.
“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear. And now we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a national championship.”
After the game, Auriemma declined to elaborate on the incident.
“I said what I had to say and… nothing… nothing,” he said when asked what happened with Staley, refusing to tell reporters what he said.
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“Why would I say it. I said what I said and obviously she didn’t like it. I just told the truth.”
Auriemma later addressed the speculation over the handshake pre-game and his mid-game interview.
“I don’t have any regrets,” Auriemma said of his mid-game interview.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, I never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it and the official said they didn’t see it. There were a lot of things that happened in that game. Unless you’re on that sideline you have no idea what’s happening on that sideline…
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“The protocol is, before the game, you meet at halfcourt, anybody ever see that before? The two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands… they announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes.”
Footage of the shouting exchange quickly went viral on social media, with many fans shocked to two of women’s basketball’s most respected figures clash so publicly.
Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks argues with Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies during the second half of an NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 3, 2026.(C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith blasted Auriemma for the incident in an X post.
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“That was some straight B.S. from the GREAT Geno Auriemma. Never — ever — thought I’d see the day when the greatest woman’s college coach in history would go down so CLASSLESSLY!!! Horrible look, and should be called out for it. He got OUTCOACHED,” Smith wrote. “Plain and simple. And gets in her face like she did something wrong to him instead of being gracious. Had Dawn Staley acted like that we would be all over her.”
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Jordan Spieth has a knack for putting himself in dastardly predicaments. Sure, he’s on TV a bunch, so golf fans are prone to seeing his wild, wicked and sometimes even life-threatening lies, but still, the guy seems to be a magnet for messiness.
The latest case in point: the par-4 12th hole at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, where, in the second round of the Valero Texas Open on Friday, Spieth blocked his tee shot into the native area right of the fairway. When Spieth and his caddie, Michael Greller, arrived in the woods — this was on Spieth’s third hole of the day — they found Spieth’s ball pinned next to a loose impediment that didn’t look, well . . . all that loose. It was either a large rock or a small boulder, and it would take the might of both men to move it.
“Want to try to do it together on [the count of] three?” Spieth said to Greller.
The scene called to mind a famous (infamous?) Tiger Woods episode at the 1999 Phoenix Open. That’s when Woods, in the fourth round, left a stray shot a couple of feet from a thigh-high boulder. After a rules official confirmed that the rock was not attached to the desert floor beneath it, Woods and his caddie, Fluff McCowan, recruited no less than a dozen fans to help remove the impediment from Woods’s intended line of flight.
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Spieth and Greller moved their own impediment with far less fanfare, shifting the rock just a few inches to free up Spieth’s ball.
“When you’re Michael Greller, when you wake up, you have no idea what to expect,” a commentator joked.
But Spieth wasn’t done flexing his rules acumen.
After he and Greller had moved the rock, they discovered Spieth’s ball in the vicinity of fire ants, which meant he could seek relief under Rule 16.2: Dangerous Animal Condition. According to this rule, such a condition “exists when a dangerous animal (such as poisonous snakes, stinging bees, alligators, fire ants or bears) near a ball could cause serious physical injury to the player if he or she had to play the ball as it lies.” Rules mavens might recall Bryson DeChambeau seeking — and being denied — this same form of relief at the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
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Spieth, though, was given a favorable ruling. When a presiding official quickly agreed that fire ants were in play, Spieth took a club-length’s relief, leaving himself in a much more manageable position than he’d been in just a couple of minutes earlier.
A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed the sequence of events, saying in a statement: “There was a large rock near the ball and since it was not solidly embedded and could be moved easily, it was deemed a loose impediment by definition and was allowed to be moved. In addition, there were fire ants in that location, so he was granted relief (Rule 16.2).”
As Spieth took relief, a commentator on the broadcast said, “This could end up being a massive break.”
To which another commentator replied, “I would say 90 percent of the field would have just taken an unplayable — not even a thought of doing something like this.”
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Spieth still didn’t have much of a look at the green, though. From his new lie, he pitched safely back to the fairway and made a bogey 5.
Still, Spieth’s rules savvy likely saved him at least a shot — and it’s a shot that proved consequential. Spieth signed for a one-under 71 Friday, good enough to make the two-under cutline on the number.
Congo scored in extra time to edge Jamaica 1-0 and become the 47th of 48 teams that will play at the World Cup.
Axel Tuanzebe scored following a corner kick in the 100th minute of the intercontinental playoff. The Jamaican defenders failed to clear the ball and Tuanzebe, who plays for Burnley in the English Premier League tapped it into the net.
Congo has never played in a World Cup under that name, although it participated in the 1974 edition in Germany as Zaire.
With its victory in the intercontinental playoff at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Congolese team completes Group K at the World Cup, where it will face Colombia, Portugal, and Uzbekistan.
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“We’re going to enjoy the qualification, but we’ll keep working. We know we’ll be facing top nations who play in the World Cup every four years,” Congo captain Chancel Mbemba said. “We’ll stay humble, keep our feet on the ground, and continue to work. We’ll give everything to make our supporters and our people proud.”
The Jamaica team, known as the Reggae Boyz, missed out on what would have been a second World Cup appearance. They have only took part once in the world’s biggest football tournament, in 1998.
Congo had chances to take the lead twice during regulation time. Nathanael Mbuku’s 4th-minute effort and Samuel Moutossamy’s in the 85th were ruled out for offside.
The full list of 48 teams participating in the World Cup was set to be finalized later Tuesday in Mexico when Bolivia played Iraq at Monterrey. The winner will join Group I, which already includes France, Norway, and Senegal.
Ademola Lookman’s debut, after joining Atletico Madrid, and his first goal for the club, came against Barcelona, and only a few months later, he’ll now prepare to face off against the LaLiga side a whopping three times in only 10 days. In a unique outcome, that has only happened due to both teams progression in the Copa Del Rey and Champions League, the two clubs will meet six times this season, with Lookman standing to be involved in five of those meetings.
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, odds
Date: Saturday, April 4 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Riyadh Air Metropolitano — Madrid, Spain
Live stream: ESPN+
Odds: Atletico Madrid +210; Draw +290; Barcelona +115
Lookman’s move to join the club from Atalanta during the January transfer window has Atletico Madrid in the midst of one of their best seasons in a while as they’re one win from securing a Copa Del Rey title while also having a chance at knocking Barcelona out of Champions League pla,y but these are things that aren’t suprising Lookman as he looks to help this team in any way that he can.
“I think obviously Atleti is a massive, massive club, on all fronts. You know, I noticed that before I came here, and being here, it’s a lot bigger and it’s right in your face. And I think that the squad is full of amazing players, qualities, and we want to compete,” Lookman said. “We’re competing on all fronts in three different competitions, which is a credit to everybody here, credit to the staff, credit to the players, and credit to the mentality here. The mentality is to win as much as we can, win the games that are in front of us, and we take every game as they come, and we’re looking forward to the games ahead.”
That mentality is part of the effect of playing for Diego Simeone. Lookman said that the manager was demanding when asked to describe what it’s like playing for him, and he also expanded that because he demands so much from his players, it makes him want to perform at his best, which will be needed to win these games. He already has two matches against Barcelona to fall back on when looking for experience, despite them ending in very different ways. Atleti won the first match for their two-legged Copa del Rey semifinal 4-0, before losing the away tie 3-0, to just squeak into the final. On the bright side, winning the two home matches by a crooked scoreline could be more than enough to see Atleti make it to the last four teams standing in the Champions League while also gaining ground in LaLiga.
With Lookman already grabbing a goal and an assist in the Copa Del Rey against Barcelona, this also won’t be an occasion that’s too big for him, although he has learned from the first two matches against them.
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“There’s a lot to take away from both games, home and away, and you know, we’ve obviously learned from that, and we’re still learning from that,” Lookman said. “We’re going to take some stuff away from that. And on every occasion, you can expect something unexpected, and that’s football. But for us, it’s obviously preparing the same way that we’ve been preparing in the best way possible to get the best result.”
There’s only so much that a team can switch things up when facing someone so many times in quick succession, so it’s a good time to keep things simple and see what happens in the long run. Lookman, settling in quickly, will have him as a focus for the attack as the club has welcomed him in, and fellow former Atalanta players Juan Musso and Matteo Ruggeri were able to help Lookman get settled.
“Normally, once you join a team, you kind of go to who you’re most familiar with, and obviously, um, I kind of stuck around them in the beginning, of course, and as time goes on, you kind of speak with more people and start to form different relationships with people,” Lookman said.
Now that he’s coming into his own and also growing in the defensive side of his game under Simeone, this is a time where he’ll be expected to impact the side. He has already learned a lot while in LaLiga and is able to use his pace to make an impact, which can give Barcelona’s high line a nightmare in these fixtures. Repetition and being able to improve as an all-around player in a short period of time show how much of a difference things have been for the Nigerian so far. Now, he’ll have to keep it going on the biggest stage.
Paris Saint-Germain went four points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 win at home against Toulouse on Friday night. Ousmane Dembélé scored the first of his two goals of the evening midway through the first half with an impressive long-range volley.
Across the Channel, Chelsea have sidelined vice-captain Enzo Fernández after the midfielder fuelled speculation of a summer transfer to Real Madrid with comments he made over the international break. The Argentine’s two-game suspension starts from this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final ties.
The fallout from Italy’s failure to qualify for a third straight World Cup has now seen Gennaro Gattuso resign as national team head coach after less than a year in charge. Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina as well as the team’s delegation head Gianluigi Buffon have also stepped down from their positions in the wake of the play-off defeat.
One of Britain’s longest-running annual sporting events, consisting of a series of boat races between students from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, takes place on the River Thames in West London this Saturday. This year, for the first time, both men’s teams will be captained by French students.
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