HeadtoHeadFootball -

EDITOR PICKS

Soccer

Usain Bolt receives contract offer from Central Coast Mariners – or does he?

The Usain Bolt saga shows no sign of slowing down and continues to be shrouded in uncertainty.

Days after the 32-year-old former Olympic champion rejected the chance to sign a first professional soccer deal with Maltese champions Valletta FC, it appears Central Coast Mariners may have made their move.

Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, has claimed the Australian outfit, with whom the Jamaican scored his first goals for a pro team this month, has offered the superstar a deal.

“In response to the media stories, yes, Usain has been offered a contract (by Mariners),” Simms said, as reported by the Associated Press. “I do not want to make any further comment at this stage.”

That’s great, then. Another contract for Bolt to peruse. Except, perhaps not.

Mariners head coach Mike Mulvey has stated that if a deal has indeed been offered to Bolt, he knows nothing about it. Mulvey even went as far as to suggest an attacking line including on-loan Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack may not need bolstering by a man for whom a career in football has been little more than an afterthought.

“You have a look at our front line today and you wonder whether he could get into any of those positions, wouldn’t you?” Mulvey said. “I do appreciate how important this story is for the rest of the world.

“You’re just talking about speculation, I don’t know anything about what you’re talking about and that’s the honest truth.”

Bolt did not play in Mariners’ 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar on Sunday. The club, when asked for an official stance on the former sprinter’s future, told BBC Sport it would not comment on media speculation.

What happens next? Who knows?

NFL

Bowlen's daughter hopes to run Broncos one day

DENVER — Brittany Bowlen, one of Pat Bowlen’s seven children, said Saturday night she’s hoping to one day succeed her father as principal owner of the Denver Broncos.

It was the first public declaration of her intention and it came at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s annual fashion show, where she is co-chair.

The franchise has been run by a trust since Pat Bowlen stepped away several years ago to battle Alzheimer’s.

“Right now, the Denver Broncos have an owner. It’s my father. Unfortunately, he can’t be involved in the day-to-day of the team,” Brittany Bowlen said. “I do have ambitions and goals to one day becoming the controlling owner of the Denver Broncos. And I’ll keep working toward those goals. I’m not there yet, but I really believe I can get there.”

Brittany Bowlen, 28, received her master’s degree in business administration from Duke in May after graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in finance, then working for two years at NFL headquarters and a year with the Broncos as a business analyst.

Terms of the trust require five years’ experience with the league or team. Bowlen, who began a job with McKinsey & Company at the global consulting firm’s downtown Denver branch, said she doesn’t have a timetable to rejoin the Broncos for more front-office experience.

“I think it’s really important that I get experience outside of the football industry,” Bowlen said. “And I think that working at McKinsey & Company is going to give me that experience.”

Asked for an update on her father’s health, Bowlen said, “My father is doing OK. Alzheimer’s is a very hard disease. He is the most stoic Alzheimer’s patient. It’s truly inspirational to see how he carries himself with the disease.”

She said since getting her master’s degree, “it’s been really awesome to spend more time with him.”

Brittany Bowlen’s mother, Annabel Bowlen, recently announced her own Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Pat Bowlen, who has been nominated as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, bought the team in 1984. He transferred control of the team to the Pat Bowlen Trust in 2014.

The trust is run by team president Joe Ellis, Broncos general counsel Rich Slivka and attorney Mary Kelly.

Soccer

Messi out of El Clasico, will miss 3 weeks with arm fracture

It could have been a lot worse.

Hours after collapsing to the Camp Nou pitch in noticeable pain, Lionel Messi has avoided long-term injury, with Barcelona confirming late Saturday that the Argentine attacker is set to miss “approximately three weeks” with a broken radial bone in his right arm.

The injury rules Messi out of next weekend’s El Clasico in the Catalan capital against rival Real Madrid. Barcelona’s top scorer will also miss Wednesday’s Champions League visit from Inter and, in all likelihood, the return fixture at the San Siro on Nov. 6.

Messi, 31, was injured when he and Sevilla’s Franco Vazquez were entangled during the first half of Saturday’s league clash, falling awkwardly on his right arm just five minutes after doubling the host’s lead. He was subbed for Ousmane Dembele shortly after and Barcelona went on to a 4-2 victory, which sees them vault Los Rojiblancos for top spot in La Liga.

Ernesto Valverde’s charges enter the midweek continental clash sitting first in Group B on six points, level with Inter but boasting a superior goal differential.

NFL

Week 7 NFL betting nuggets to know for every game

Last week’s trends came through, with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning outright as an underdog in Cincinnati.

1 Related

This week, the trends point to a couple of home underdogs — the Chicago Bears and New York Jets — continuing their success in this spot. The trends also call for a Dallas Cowboys upset win in Washington.

Here are the rest of the trends that should help you in betting the NFL this weekend.

All lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers (-7, 45.5) — 9:30 a.m. ET (London)

  • The Titans are 4-1 ATS with three outright wins in their past five games as an underdog of more than a field goal.

  • The Chargers are 6-16-1 ATS in their past 23 games as a favorite of more than a field goal.

New England Patriots (-3, 49) at Chicago Bears — 1 p.m. ET

  • The Bears are 8-2-1 ATS with five outright wins in their past 11 games as a home underdog.

  • The Bears are 4-1 ATS and 4-1 SU in their past five games against AFC teams.

  • The under is 15-5 in the Patriots’ past 20 road games.

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5, 50) — 1 p.m. ET

  • Jameis Winston is 3-9 ATS with seven outright losses in 12 career starts as a favorite.

  • The Browns are 4-1 ATS in their past five games as an underdog.

  • The over is 6-0 in the Buccaneers’ past six games.

Detroit Lions (-3, 46.5) at Miami Dolphins — 1 p.m. ET

  • The over is 12-3 in the Dolphins’ past 15 home games played in Miami.

  • The Dolphins are 7-3-1 ATS with seven outright wins in their past 11 games as a home underdog in Miami.

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5, 45) — 1 p.m. ET

Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5, 42.5) — 1 p.m. ET

  • This will mark the first time the Colts are favored by at least 7 points since 2014. Andrew Luck is 6-2 ATS in eight career starts when favored by at least a touchdown, including five straight covers.

Minnesota Vikings (-3.5, 46) at New York Jets — 1 p.m. ET

  • The Jets are 8-1-1 ATS with six outright wins in their past 10 games as a home underdog.

  • Kirk Cousins is 0-3 ATS with two outright losses and a tie in his three starts as a road favorite over the past two seasons.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5, 41.5) — 1 p.m. ET

New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 49.5) — 4:05 p.m. ET

  • The Ravens are 3-0-1 ATS and 4-0 SU in their past four home games as a favorite of 3 points or less. Baltimore has an average margin of victory of 18.3 PPG in those four wins.

  • The over is 7-2 ATS in the Saints’ past nine games as an underdog.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (-1.5, 41.5) — 4:25 p.m. ET

  • The Cowboys are 12-3 ATS with 11 outright wins in their past 15 games as an underdog against the Redskins.

  • The underdog is 12-4 ATS in the past 16 meetings between these NFC East rivals.

  • Dak Prescott is 3-1 ATS and 4-0 SU in four career starts against the Redskins.

  • The over is 5-0 ATS in the past five meetings between these rivals.

Los Angeles Rams (-9.5, 52) at San Francisco 49ers — 4:25 p.m. ET

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5, 58.5) — 8:20 p.m. ET

  • Over the past 30 seasons, there have been 13 games that closed with an over/under of at least 58. The over is 9-3-1 in those 13 games.

  • The Bengals are 7-2 ATS with five outright wins in their past nine games as an underdog.

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons (-4, 54) — 8:15 p.m. ET (Monday)

  • The over is 16-6 in the Falcons’ past 22 home games, including 4-0 this season.

  • The over is 9-2 in the 11 games with an over/under above 52 this season.

Page 489 of 834« First...102030488489490491500510520...Last »

Soccer