Outside The Lines has obtained federal wiretap audio, text messages, hidden camera video and fraudulent invoices from the FBI’s investigation into college basketball’s corruption, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Paula Lavigne.
Nassir Little and Brian Bowen Jr. are among the players at the center of attention, with Rick Pitino, Louisville and Arizona also involved in the conversations.
Full transcripts and audio can be viewed on ESPN.com.
Earlier this week,Schlabachreported Adidas executive James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and Christian Dawkins were all found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud after being accusedof providing recruits with impermissible benefits to incentivize them to sign with Adidas schools.
All three were involved in multiple recordings.
Little, a 5-star recruit and North Carolina commit, was the topic of one such recording, as Code and Gatto discussed how much it would take to land him at Miami. Here’s a snippet of Code, via ESPN(note: all transcripts may contain language NSFW):
“So, here’s the deal. Kid—there’s a kid named Nassir Little who’s top…five or six in the country who Larranaga and those guys really want. The problem is, Arizona’s offered the kid 150, and we’re trying to keep him from going to one of their schools.
[…]
“Uh, again, it doesn’t have to be all in one lump sum. I can, I can make it work if you’re saying you’ll do it. I can tell them that, you know, its installments, and we’ll figure out how to get it to you, when, where, how, blah, blah, blah.”
Meanwhile, the recordings all provide a detailed look at what helped Louisville initially land former 5-star recruit Brian Bowen Jr., who wound up transferring to South Carolina. Dawkins was extremely blunt with Bowen’s father in one particular conversation, perESPN: “You about to get money. You about to, you about to get some racks.”
Dawkins later discussed specifics with Jill Bailey, perESPN:
“Then August 25th, Louisville needs to get five grand in an account for the big kid from Florida, that Brad Augustine, is a guy who Jeff met him and Marty met and he’s going to be expecting August 25th, five grand for the big kid that Louisville is trying to get.”
Former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola also mentioned in an August 10, 2017, conversationwith Dawkins that Pitino called Gatto and $100,000 was given to Bowen. Pitino was fired in October 2017 in the wake of the scandal.
Financial advisor Munish Sood told Dawkins in oneconversation on July 13, 2017, that making cash drop-offs to people he didn’t know made him “nervous” and that he did not want to repeat that sort of activity in the future.
According to the New York Times’ Marc Tracy, sentencing for Gatto, Code and Dawkins has been set for March 5. Gatto will reportedly appeal Wednesday’s guilty verdict.
The Houston Texans defeated the Miami Dolphins 42-23 on Thursday night at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Deshaun Watson completed 16 of 20 passes for 239yards and fivetouchdowns to lead the Texans, with DeAndre Hopkins (six catches for 82yards, two TDs) and Will Fuller V (five receptions for 124 yards and one score) also contributing to the victory.
Dolphins quarterback Brock Osweiler had 241yards, zerotouchdowns and oneinterception. Miami receiver Danny Amendola also threw a 28-yard touchdown and caught fivepasses for 43yards, and DeVante Parker put up 134 yards on six receptions.
Texans Team to Beat in AFC South
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the reigning AFC South champs and are coming off an AFC Championship Game appearance, but the division runs through Houston this year.
Early on, that didn’t appear to be the case, as Houston failed to win a game through the first three weeks. However, a five-game winning streak puts the momentum in the Texans’ favor—and they are only getting started.
Now that Watson’s knee injury is a thing of the past and Hopkins (53 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns this season) is back to putting up ridiculous numbers, the offense is hitting its stride.
Houston averaged just 19.7 points through the first three weeks but has put up 27.6 per game over the last five.
But the Texans aren’t a one-dimensional team. They can bring the heat on defense as well.
J.J. Watt (8.0 sacks) and Jadeveon Clowney (4.5 sacks) have formed a dynamic pass-rushing duo up front. Meanwhile, the defense entered Thursday’s game ranked seventh in the NFL with 13 forced turnovers. Offseason acquisition Tyrann Mathieu and Kareem Jackson lead the team with two interceptions apiece.
Houston is 5-3 and owns a 1.5-game lead over both Jacksonville and the Tennessee Titans. The Texans hold the tiebreaker over the Jaguars thanks to a 20-7 victory last week but do not hold the same advantage over the Titans after losing their Week 2 meeting.
While the Texans are hot, both Jacksonville and Tennessee are trending in the opposite direction, as both clubs are riding three-game losing streaks.
There is still a long way to go in the regular season, but the Texans are the team to beat in the AFC South.
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award Is J.J. Watt’s to Lose
Watt already has three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards—and he could add a fourth by year’s end.
Entering this season, Watt’s name was being floated for NFL ComebackPlayer of the Year after back and leg injuries limited him to eight games over the past two years. However, Watt made it clear to NBC Sports’ Peter King during the offseason that he had his sights set on a fourth DPOY award.
Any questions as to whether he could regain his pre-injury form were quickly put to rest.
In posting four tackles (twofor loss) and onesack Thursday, Watt continued his bounce-back campaign.
He’s tied for the league lead in sacks and forced fumbles (four). Not bad for a player who has been sidelined for most of the past two years.
Watt was held without a sack in his first two games, but he has been on a tear since. He has at least one sack in five of his last six contests, quickly putting himself among the favorites for individual honors.
If he keeps up his pace, it would mark his fifth double-digit sack performance. The only time he hasn’t reached that plateau when healthy was his rookie season in 2011.
To put it simply: Watt is back.
Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald could have a case for the award, especially if his team continues to pile up wins, and don’t forget about Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack. But if Watt can continue to play the way he has in recent weeks and lead his team to the playoffs, the voters will have a tough time ignoring him.
Dolphins Prove They’re Playoff Pretenders Again
Bob Levey/Getty Images
Miami parted ways with the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Jarvis Landry and Mike Pouncey, among others, during the offseason. They did, however, add veterans Frank Gore and Danny Amendola while also having quarterback Ryan Tannehill return from a significant knee injury.
Then, the Dolphins caught the football world’s attention by seizing a 3-0 start. That hot beginning had many wondering if this team was for real.
A month later, it’s clear the Fins are pretenders.
Miami narrowly edged Tennessee, the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders to open the season, with each game decided by one possession. A 38-7 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 4 gave the Dolphins a dose of reality, and they have since lost three of their past four games, with each loss coming by double digits.
The combined record of the four opponents they’ve beaten is 10-16. Their largest margin of victory? Eight points—with a 6.5-point average margin of victory. Meanwhile, they have yet to beat a team that currently owns a winning record. Their four losses have come by an average of17.8 points.
It doesn’t help Miami’s cause that Tannehill has been sidelined since Week 5 with a shoulder injury and receiver Kenny Stills didn’t play against Houston because of a groin injury. But in the NFL, it’s a “next man up” philosophy.
Running back Kenyan Drake (58 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards and two touchdowns) continues to put up strong numbers, but it has to be a team effort.
The Dolphins are just two years removed from a 10-6 season that included a playoff appearance. It appears New England is well on its way to its 16th AFC East crown in the past 18 seasons, meaning Miami will have to compete for a wild card. The Los Angeles Chargers (5-2) hold the top wild-card spot, and the Dolphins are one of three teams in the AFC wild-card race with four victories.
Miami’s remaining schedule is far from favorable. Games with the Green Bay Packers (away), the Patriots, the Minnesota Vikings (away) and the Jaguars remain.
Adam Gase’s squad made noise early this season, but it doesn’t have the look of a playoff team any longer.
What’s Next
Houston (5-3) will be back in action Nov. 4 when it hits the road for a game against the Denver Broncos, while Miami (4-4) will return home to host the New York Jets in Week 9.
The tiny Gulf nation will be the first from the Arab world to host the World Cup, breaking with tradition with a winter kick-off as it looks to avoid the scorching summer heat.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed Qatar’s progress on infrastructure during a visit to its capital, Doha, on Tuesday, after inspecting the eight stadiums and several training sites that will be used for the month-long tournament.
“You can see the progress which is being made here four years before kick-off,” Infantino said after a tour of the Al Wakrah stadium, a 40,000 capacity venue that will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage.
“The Russian World Cup was the best ever, and the World Cup in 2022 has to be even better,” he said.
“I think this World Cup is extremely important, not only for Qatar but for the whole region – a region that has a passion for football and is investing a lot in the game.”
FIFA head Infantino inspects Al Wakrah Stadium during his visit to Doha [Anadolu/Qatar 2022 Local Organizing Committee /Handout]
Qatar beat bid rivals Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States in 2010 to claim the hosting rights.
As it looks to open its doors to football fans and teams from around the world for its biggest sporting event since the 2006 Asian Games, the Gulf state has come under increasing scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers.
To date, there have been three work-related fatalities and nine non-work related deaths of workers engaged in the construction of Qatar’s World Cup stadiums, according to the tournament organisers.
But the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) dismissed all complaints lodged against Qatar following a new draft bill, introducing minimum wage and legal protection for the foreign workforce, approved by the government last year.
At least 26,000 people are directly involved in the construction of the proposed stadiums.
Contractors involved in the World Cup projects have agreed to reimburse more than $14.4m to the thousands of workers who had paid recruitment fees before moving to Qatar.
Seven new state-of-the art stadiums with advanced open-air cooling technology are being built from scratch for the 2022 event.
The eighth one, Khalifa International Stadium located next to the iconic Torch Tower, was inaugurated in May last year, after undergoing renovations and upgrades.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), which is overseeing the organisation of 2022 World Cup, said earlier this year the Al Wakrah Stadium and Al Bayt in Al Khor will be ready by December.
“All the stadiums will be completed two years before the tournament starts,” Yasser Al Mulla, the SC’s Landscape & Sport Turf Management Senior Manager, said in January.
Here is a look at the progress of the stadiums.
Khalifa International Stadium
A general view of the Khalifa International Stadium [Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images]
The Khalifa International stadium, which was built in 1976 in Doha, is the first tournament-ready venue.
This 40,000-capacity arena has already hosted the Gulf Cup, Asian Games and the AFC Asian Cup.
A general view of the Khalifa International Stadium [Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images]
WATCH: Qatar’s Khalifa stadium ready for 2022 World Cup
Al Wakrah Stadium
Located inthe southern city of Al Wakrah, this 40,000-seat stadium is “almost complete”, according to the SC, and its retractable roof is now being installed.
A view of the Al Wakrah stadium from outside [Photo courtesy of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy]
Contruction under way at Al Wakrah stadium [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
Lusail Stadium
The Lusail Stadium, located in Lusail city, about 23km north of Doha, will host the opening ceremony and the final of the World Cup.
According to the SC, the concrete foundations are being laid and the seating area is under construction.
The final of the 2022 World Cup will be played at Lusail Stadium [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]
Al Bayt Stadium
The Al Bayt Stadium, located in Al Khor city, has a capacity of 60,000. Its exterior, which resembles tents used in Qatar’s deserts, is half complete.
Seats for fans at the Al Bayt stadium are being produced by a local company [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
A computer-generated artist’s impression of the Al Bayt Stadium [Illustration provided by 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy/Getty Images]
Education City Stadium
Education City stadium on the outskirts of Doha is right in the middle of Qatar’s leading universities.
After hosting matches up to the quarter-finals stage, the arena will be reduced in half and 20,000 seats will be donated to build stadiums in developing countries.
An overhead view of construction at the Education City stadium in October [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
Concrete structure of the Education City Stadium is now in place [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
Al Rayyan Stadium
The Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar’s second-most populous city is being built on the site of the old Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, previous home of Qatar’s Al Rayyan Sports Club. It will have a capacity of 40,000 seats.
A split view of Al Rayyan Stadium’s construction progress, right, and illustration after completion [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
WATCH: Qatar 2022 reveal design of fifth World Cup stadium
Al Thumama Stadium
This 40,000 seat stadium is located 12km south of Doha’s skyline and seafront. It is an architectural depiction of the gahfiya, a traditional cap worn by Arab men.
The venue’s unique design won the Architectural Review Future Projects Award in May.
A split view of Al Thumama’s construction progress, right, and illustration after completion [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
Ras Aboud Stadium
To be built on the shores of the Gulf, the Ras Aboud stadium will overlook the Doha skyline in the backdrop.
This 40,000 seat venue will be completely dismantled and re-purposed for other sporting and non-sporting projects after the tournament. It’s foundations are currently being laid.
Excavation under way at the Ras Aboud Stadium site [Photo courtesy of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy]
A computer-generated artist’s impression of the planned Ras Aboud Stadium [Illustration provided by 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy/Getty Images]
According to Reuters, the 56-year-old climber made it to the top of London’s Heron Tower in an hour. Standing 230 metres (755 feet) high, it’s one of the highest buildings in the city, so scaling this thing without any support in sight is seriously impressive.
People watch Robert climbing Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, in central London.
Image: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images
People gathered on the street below the enormous tower, capturing all kinds of angles of the climb, and posting videos to Twitter:
Glory, one hell of a view, and City of London police, (who probably preferred the elevator) were waiting for Robert at the top of the tower, and arrested him for “causing a public nuisance” according to the news service.
This Twitter video seemingly taken from a nearby building shows the moment in which Robert made it to the top, then casually accepted his arrest.
He’s currently in custody.
“While the incident has caused immense disruption to everyday business in the City of London it also posed a significant level of risk to the safety of people in and around Heron Tower at the time,” City of London police commander Karen Baxter told Reuters.
Smile!
Image: PA Images via Getty Images
It’s not the first time Robert has climbed an unthinkable building without ropes — and it’s not the first time he’s been arrested either. With over 150 buildings scaled, including the Sydney Opera House, the Ariane Tower in Paris, and one of Barcelona’s highest skyscrapers, the Torre Agbar, Robert has more than earned his nickname.
And it hasn’t even been that long between climbs. Robert scaled the exterior of the 123-storey Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea on June 6, playing a cat and mouse chase with security.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi bears the hallmark of an extrajudicial execution, and those who orchestrated his murder “are high enough to represent the state”.
“What we know is sufficient to suggest very strongly that Mr Khashoggi was the victim of an extrajudicial execution,” Agnes Callamard told Al Jazeera.
Khashoggi, 59, a Washington Post columnist and critic Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
WATCH: Is the global response to Khashoggi killing tough enough? (24:40)
After weeks of denials, the kingdom finally confirmed Khashoggi’s death on October 20, claiming he died in a fistfight.
The claim sparked global outrage which has since mushroomed into a crisis for the world’s top oil exporter.
“First, we know that killing was in the consulate, which is representative of the state of Saudi Arabia,” Callamard said.
“Second, the individuals present at the time of the disappearance and the alleged killing were representatives of the state.
“Subsequently, over the last few days at least, Saudi authorities have recognised individuals at the highest levels of the structures of authority of being involved in the disappearance and the killing.
“All of these elements indicate that the disappearance and now killing of Jamal Khashoggi bear the hallmark of an extrajudicial execution.”
So far, Saudi authorities have arrested 18 people in connection with the killing and fired top security officials considered close to MBS.
The young crown prince has denied having knowledge of the alleged assassination mission and on Wednesday promised to bring those responsible to justice.
Callamard added: “it will now be up to a thorough, impartial investigation to determine how far up this goes and who was the ultimate decision maker.
“But we have enough right now to determine that the government of Saudi Arabia is responsible and is implicated.”
Faisal Fahad, a Saudi representative at the UN, said Callamard had overstepped her remit with her comments.
“My delegation would like to denounce the statement by the special rapporteur. We call on her not to exceed her mandate on extrajudicial executions. Kindly do not give us any personal opinions in this official meeting,” said Fahad.
‘Worst cover-up ever’
For the past three weeks, pro-government Turkish media have been publishing leaked information on the investigation and details of alleged recordings of the murder.
The reports have claimed Khashoggi was tortured and killed by a 15-member “hit squad” from Saudi Arabia.
The Turkish government has so far declined to elaborate on the alleged audio recordings, but on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that CIA Director Gina Haspel had listened to them.
The paper cited an unnamed source as calling the audio evidence “compelling,” adding that it could put further pressure on the US to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi’s death.
While the Trump administration had inititally defended the kingdom’s explanation for how Khashoggi was killed, on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said Saudi authorities had staged the “worst cover-up ever”.
Asked by a reporter in the White House how the Khashoggi killing could have happened, Trump said: “They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.
“There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened. I would say it was a total fiasco from day one.”
‘Saudis do not have a blank check’
However, the US president has implied that Washington has little obligation to investigate the incident, emphasising that Khashoggi was not a US citizen.
Trump has also insisted that killing will not interfere with US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, citing a $110bn deal with Riyadh he announced last year.
WATCH: Global pressure calling for end to arms sales to Saudi Arabia (2:55)
Meanwhile, in an op-ed for the New York Times, US Senator Bernie Sanders urged Congress to “redefine” Washington’s relationship with Riyadh, saying it was time to “show that the Saudis do not have a blank check to continue violating human rights.
“One place we can start is by ending United States support for the war in Yemen,” Sanders wrote.
“The US is deeply engaged in this war. We are providing bombs the Saudi-led coalition is using, we are refueling their planes before they drop those bombs, and we are assisting with intelligence.
“I very much hope that Congress will act, that we will finally take seriously our congressional duty, end our support for the carnage in Yemen, and send the message that human lives are worth more than profits for arms manufacturers.
In a follow-up ad by Tourism New Zealand, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson joins the Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby to try and figure out why the country is consistently forgotten from the Earth’s maps.
The Kiwi-loving Ed Sheeran makes a cameo as well as the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a bid to tackle the “conspiracy,” which forms part of its #getNZonthemap campaign.
Migrants taking part in a new caravan heading to the U.S., queue for food in Usumatlan, Zacapa department, Guatemala, on Oct. 24. | Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images
The White House is weighing an executive action and regulatory change to block a caravan of Central American migrants from entering the United States, according to a DHS official, an administration official and three people familiar with the move.
Under the plan, the Trump administration would publish fast-track regulation that would restrict certain migrants’ ability to seek asylum. The regulation would be paired with a related proclamation from President Donald Trump.
Story Continued Below
The executive actions would follow the playbook of Trump’s most sensational immigration moves and test the bounds of public approval and legality, according to those familiar with it. Trump has fumed publicly and privately in recent days about a caravan of migrants traveling north through Mexico and challenged aides to find a solution.
The intense focus on immigration comes less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Democrats are favored to regain control of the House, but Republicans hope to retain competitive seats by digging in on a core issue.
“The administration is considering a wide range of administrative, legal and legislative options to address the Democrat-created crisis of mass illegal immigration,” a White House official said. “No decisions have been made at this time. Nor will we forecast to smugglers or caravans what precise strategies will or will not be deployed.”
Kerri Talbot, director of the D.C.-based Immigration Hub, said it’s a play to Trump’s base. “He’s trying to distract voters from core issues like health care,” she said.
The DHS official briefed on the moves warned that the administration could abandon the plan or adjust it before moving forward.
The actions appear to lean on the same statute behind Trump’s travel ban, according to those familiar with it. The statute states that the president can suspend entry of foreigners deemed “detrimental to the interests of the United States.”
The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the third version of the travel ban in June. In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled the president has vast powers in the realm of national security.
“I think the courts respected a thorough national security review that was undertaken,” said the DHS official. “Here you’ve got something that appears to be completely political and focused on a caravan of women and children.”
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