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Michigan hit with NCAA sanctions for football recruiting violations

Michigan has been placed on probation for the next three years and will face other penalties from the NCAA due to violations during a COVID-19 dead period and for having non-coaching staff members participate in impermissible roles under former football coach Jim Harbaugh.

The penalties, which also include a fine for Michigan and recruiting penalties, were part of a deal between the NCAA enforcement staff, the University of Michigan, and ‘five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program.’

According to the release from the NCAA, one former coach did not participate in the agreement, and ‘that portion of the case will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions.’ The coach who did not participate is not named by the NCAA.

Harbaugh served a self-imposed three-game suspension at the start of the 2023 season because of these violations,, which are separate from the sign-stealing saga involving Connor Stalions, which broke in the second half of the year.

“Today’s joint resolution pertains to the University of Michigan Athletic Department and several former and current employees,’ Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. ‘We are pleased to reach a resolution on this matter so that our student-athletes and our football program can move forward. We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA’s inquiries.”

Michigan appeared to have a resolution in place with the NCAA last summer that would’ve suspended Harbaugh for four games, along with new head coach Sherrone Moore and new offensive line coach Grant Newsome for one game, but the deal fell apart in August just before the 2023 season.

Michigan first received a draft notice of allegations related to recruiting violations and coaching activities by noncoaching staff members in January 2023. The violations included in-person recruiting contacts and tryouts during the NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period and exceeding the number of allowed coaches participating in both “on- and off-field coaching activities”, according to the NCAA. 

The violations were labeled as Level II violations which are defined as actions deemed “more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage” according to a description adopted in 2019. 

An additional Level I violation was brought against Harbaugh, who told the NCAA he had no recollection of the Level II violations, which the NCAA determined as misleading. A Level I violation is defined as a “severe breach of conduct” that “seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of college sports,”. 

When the official notice of allegations was sent in December, just ahead of the Wolverines’ third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff, multiple people told the Free Press Michigan acknowledged the Level II violations while Harbaugh maintained his innocence in the Level I violation. 

The Wolverines won the first three games of the season without Harbaugh, who then returned for the next six games before being suspended again by the Big Ten for a different scandal, causing him to miss the final three games of the regular season.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti handed down the second suspension after Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing operation became public in late October. Shortly after the news became public, Stalions was identified as the ringleader, where he would allegedly purchase tickets to games of future Michigan opponents, send associates to attend games and film the opponent’s signals on the sideline that weren’t available on television.

Harbaugh and Michigan initially filed a court order seeking to stop the three-game suspension from the Big Ten, but dropped the case before it was scheduled to hit court and accepted the suspension, which was handed down to Harbaugh for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy.

Harbaugh returned for the postseason, where he led Michigan to another Big Ten Championship and the school’s first national title since 1997.

In response to Tuesday’s news, Harbaugh’s lawyer Tom Mars told the Free Press via a text message he submitted a response on behalf of the former Michigan coach, but that ended Harbaugh’s involvement.

‘I filed a lengthy response to the NOA on behalf of Coach Harbaugh, which unfortunately hasn’t been made public and will probably never see the light of day,’ Mars said. ‘That concluded Coach Harbaugh’s participation in the case.’

Since winning the national championship over Washington, Harbaugh has left the Michigan program to take the head coaching gig with the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore, who was interim coach during a November suspension of Harbaugh was promoted to head coach after the season.

Harbaugh’s move also spurred a wave of staff turnover, including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter joining Harbaugh, among others.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Deion Sanders, Colorado losing five-star recruit to transfer portal

One of the highest-rated players Deion Sanders has brought to Colorado is entering the transfer portal.

Cormani McClain, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, told On3 he was planning to enter the portal after one season with the Buffaloes. McClain shared the news on his Instagram account.

The top cornerback in his class, McClain flipped to Colorado to play for Sanders after he was initially committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes. At the time, McClain said he wanted to ‘get coached by the best DB.’

His one season at Colorado was hardly smooth, though. McClain appeared in nine games for the Buffaloes, recording 13 tackles and two pass deflections. He also received some public criticism from Sanders, who said the Lakeland Florida native was ultimately responsible for not getting himself on the field early in the season.

Now, McClain appears headed elsewhere. He’s viewed as a four-star portal prospect, per 247 Sports and will have three years of eligibilty remaining.

McClain isn’t the only player leaving, either: At least nine other players are parting ways with the program.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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NFL draft order: Complete breakdown of all seven rounds

The NFL draft, the most anticipated event of the league’s offseason, is just about at our doorstep.

The first round takes center stage Thursday, April 25, with Rounds 2-3 following on Friday, April 26, and the final four rounds being held Saturday, April 27. The draft will be held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.

Broadcast options for the draft will available on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network, with streaming on NFL+, ESPN+ and Fubo.

Here is the complete round-by-round order for the 2024 NFL draft.

Round 1

1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers)

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

2. Washington Commanders

3. New England Patriots

4. Arizona Cardinals

5. Los Angeles Chargers

6. New York Giants

7. Tennessee Titans

8. Atlanta Falcons

9. Chicago Bears

10. New York Jets

11. Minnesota Vikings

12. Denver Broncos

13. Las Vegas Raiders

14. New Orleans Saints

15. Indianapolis Colts

16. Seattle Seahawks

17. Jacksonville Jaguars

18. Cincinnati Bengals

19. Los Angeles Rams

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

21. Miami Dolphins

22. Philadelphia Eagles

23. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland Browns through Houston Texans)

24. Dallas Cowboys

25. Green Bay Packers

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)

28. Buffalo Bills

29. Detroit Lions

30. Baltimore Ravens

31. San Francisco 49ers

32. Kansas City Chiefs

Round 2

33. Carolina Panthers

34. New England Patriots

35. Arizona Cardinals

36. Washington Commanders

37. Los Angeles Chargers

38. Tennessee Titans

39. Carolina Panthers (from New York Giants)

40. Washington Commanders (from Chicago Bears)

41. Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets)

42. Houston Texans (from Minnesota Vikings)

43. Atlanta Falcons

44. Las Vegas Raiders

45. New Orleans Saints (from Denver Broncos)

46. Indianapolis Colts

47. New York Giants (from Seattle Seahawks)

48. Jacksonville Jaguars

49. Cincinnati Bengals

50. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints)

51. Pittsburgh Steelers

52. Los Angeles Rams

53. Philadelphia Eagles

54. Cleveland Browns

55. Miami Dolphins

56. Dallas Cowboys

57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

58. Green Bay Packers

59. Houston Texans

60. Buffalo Bills

61. Detroit Lions

62. Baltimore Ravens

63. San Francisco 49ers

64. Kansas City Chiefs

Round 3

65. Carolina Panthers

66. Arizona Cardinals

67. Washington Commanders

68. New England Patriots

69. Los Angeles Chargers

70. New York Giants

71. Arizona Cardinals (from Tennessee Titans)

72. New York Jets

73. Detroit Lions (from Minnesota Vikings)

74. Atlanta Falcons

75. Chicago Bears

76. Denver Broncos

77. Las Vegas Raiders

78. Washington Commanders (from Seattle Seahawks)

79. Atlanta Falcons (from Jacksonville Jaguars)

80. Cincinnati Bengals

81. Seattle Seahawks (from New Orleans Saints through Denver Broncos)

82. Indianapolis Colts

83. Los Angeles Rams

84. Pittsburgh Steelers

85. Cleveland Browns

86. Houston Texans (from Philadelphia Eagles)

87. Dallas Cowboys

88. Green Bay Packers

89. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

90. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)

91. Green Bay Packers (from Buffalo Bills)

92. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Detroit Lions)

93. Baltimore Ravens

94. San Francisco 49ers

95. Kansas City Chiefs

96. Jacksonville Jaguars (compensatory selection)

97. Cincinnati Bengals (compensatory selection)

98. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Philadelphia Eagles; special compensatory selection)

99. Los Angeles Rams (special compensatory selection)

100. Washington Commanders (from San Francisco 49ers; special compensatory selection)

Round 4

101. Carolina Panthers

102. Seattle Seahawks (from Washington Commanders)

103. New England Patriots

104. Arizona Cardinals

105. Los Angeles Chargers

106. Tennessee Titans

107. New York Giants

108. Minnesota Vikings

109. Atlanta Falcons

110. Los Angeles Chargers (from Chicago Bears)

111. New York Jets

112. Las Vegas Raiders

113. Baltimore Ravens (from Denver Broncos through New York Jets)

114. Jacksonville Jaguars

115. Cincinnati Bengals

116. Jacksonville Jaguars (from New Orleans Saints)

117. Indianapolis Colts

118. Seattle Seahawks

119. Pittsburgh Steelers

120. Philadelphia Eagles (from Los Angeles Rams through Pittsburgh Steelers)

121. Denver Broncos (from Miami Dolphins)

122. Chicago Bears (from Philadelphia Eagles)

123. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns)

124. San Francisco 49ers (from Dallas Cowboys)

125. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

126. Green Bay Packers

127. Houston Texans

128. Buffalo Bills

129. Minnesota Vikings (from Detroit Lions)

130. Baltimore Ravens

131. Kansas City Chiefs

132. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)

133. Buffalo Bills (compensatory selection)

134. New York Jets (from Baltimore Ravens; compensatory selection)

135. San Francisco 49ers

Round 5

136. Denver Broncos (from Carolina Panthers through Cleveland Browns)

137. New England Patriots

138. Arizona Cardinals

139. Washington Commanders

140. Los Angeles Chargers

141. Carolina Panthers (from New York Giants)

142. Carolina Panthers (from Tennessee Titans)

143. Atlanta Falcons

144. Buffalo Bills (from Chicago Bears)

145. Denver Broncos (from New York Jets)

146. Tennessee Titans (from Minnesota Vikings through Philadelphia Eagles)

147. Denver Broncos

148. Las Vegas Raiders

149. Cincinnati Bengals

150. New Orleans Saints

151. Indianapolis Colts

152. Washington Commanders (from Seattle Seahawks)

153. Jacksonville Jaguars

154. Los Angeles Rams

155. Los Angeles Rams (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

156. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles through Arizona Cardinals)

157. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland Browns)

158. Miami Dolphins

159. Kansas City Chiefs (from Dallas Cowboys)

160. Buffalo Bills (from Green Bay Packers)

161. Philadelphia Eagles (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

162. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)

163. Buffalo Bills

164. Detroit Lions

165. Baltimore Ravens

166. New York Giants (from San Francisco 49ers through Carolina Panthers)

167. Minnesota Vikings (from Kansas City Chiefs)

168. New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection)

169. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)

170. New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection)

171. Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection)

172. Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection)

173. Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory selection)

174. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)

175. New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection)

176. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)

Round 6

177. Minnesota Vikings (from Carolina Panthers through Jacksonville Jaguars)

178. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Arizona Cardinals through Carolina Panthers)

179. Seattle Seahawks (from Washington Commanders)

180. New England Patriots

181. Los Angeles Chargers

182. Tennessee Titans (reacquired through Philadelphia Eagles)

183. New York Giants

184. Miami Dolphins (from Chicago Bears)

185. New York Jets

186. Arizona Cardinals (from Minnesota Vikings)

187. Atlanta Falcons

188. Houston Texans (from Las Vegas Raiders through New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings)

189. Houston Texans (from Denver Broncos through Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills)

190. New Orleans Saints

191. Indianapolis Colts

192. Seattle Seahawks

193. New England Patriots (from Jacksonville Jaguars)

194. Cincinnati Bengals

195. Pittsburgh Steelers

196. Los Angeles Rams

197. Atlanta Falcons (from Cleveland Browns)

198. Miami Dolphins

199. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles)

200. Buffalo Bills (from Dallas Cowboys through Houston Texans)

201. Detroit Lions (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

202. Green Bay Packers

203. Denver Broncos (from Houston Texans through Cleveland Browns)

204. Buffalo Bills

205. Detroit Lions

206. Cleveland Browns (from Baltimore Ravens)

207. Denver Broncos (from San Francisco 49ers)

208. Las Vegas Raiders (from Kansas City Chiefs)

209. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)

210. Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection)

211. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)

212. Jacksonville Jaguars (compensatory selection)

213. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)

214. Cincinnati Bengals (compensatory selection)

215. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection)

216. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection)

217. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)

218. Baltimore Ravens (from New York Jets; compensatory selection)

219. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)

220. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (compensatory selection)

Round 7

221. Kansas City Chiefs (from Carolina Panthers through Tennessee Titans)

222. Washington Commanders

223. Las Vegas Raiders (from New England Patriots)

224. Cincinnati Bengals (from Arizona Cardinals through Houston Texans)

225. Los Angeles Chargers

226. Arizona Cardinals (from New York Giants)

227. Cleveland Browns (from Tennessee Titans)

228. Baltimore Ravens (from New York Jets)

229. Las Vegas Raiders (from Minnesota Vikings)

230. Minnesota Vikings (from Atlanta Falcons through Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals)

231. New England Patriots (from Chicago Bears)

232. Minnesota Vikings (from Denver Broncos through San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans)

233. Dallas Cowboys (from Las Vegas Raiders)

234. Indianapolis Colts

235. Seattle Seahawks

236. Jacksonville Jaguars

237. Cincinnati Bengals

238. Houston Texans (from New Orleans Saints)

239. New Orleans Saints (from Los Angeles Rams through Denver Broncos)

240. Carolina Panthers (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

241. Miami Dolphins

242. Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia Eagles)

243. Cleveland Browns

244. Dallas Cowboys

245. Green Bay Packers

246. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

247. Houston Texans

248. Buffalo Bills

249. Detroit Lions

250. Baltimore Ravens

251. San Francisco 49ers

252. Tennessee Titans (from Kansas City Chiefs)

253. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory selection)

254. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)

255. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)

256. New York Jets (compensatory selection)

257. New York Jets (compensatory selection)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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NFL draft: Everything you need to know about No. 1 pick

The 2024 NFL draft is quickly approaching and the No. 1 overall pick shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Quarterbacks are at a premium in this year’s draft, which kicks off in Detroit next week, and USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft predicts four of the first five names off the draft board will be quarterbacks. The 2024 draft class includes a pair of Heisman-winning quarterbacks in USC’s Caleb Williams (2022) and LSU’s Jayden Daniels (2023), in addition to Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Oregon QB Box Nix.

The 2024 NFL draft will begin with the first round on Thursday, April 25 (8 p.m. ET). The second and third rounds will be held Friday, April 26 (7 p.m. ET), followed by rounds four through seven on Saturday, April 27 (noon ET). 

2024 NFL MOCK DRAFT: J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye for Patriots at No. 3?

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

The Chicago Bears will be on the clock first, followed by the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. Here’s everything to know about the first overall pick:

Who has the No. 1 pick?

The Bears have the No. 1 pick this year after acquiring it from the Carolina Panthers last year.

The Panthers traded two first-round picks and receiver DJ Moore to the Bears last year in exchange for the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL draft, which Carolina used to select quarterback Bryce Young first overall. The Panthers went on to the finish 2023 season with a league-worst record of 2-15. That means the 2024 first-round draft pick that Carolina traded away to the Bears in 2023 will be a No. 1 pick this year.

The Bears have the opportunity to make two top-ten selections this year — Chicago also has the No. 9 pick.

Who will the Bears draft with the No. 1 pick?

The Bears are expected to draft USC star and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams first overall. Chicago even appeared to make room for Williams by trading 2021 No. 1 draft pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month.

Williams is fairly confident he will hear his name early in the night.

“I don’t think I’m not going to be No. 1,” Williams said at the league’s annual scouting combine in March. “I put in all the hard work. All of the time, effort, energy into being that. I don’t think of a Plan B. That’s kind of how I do things in my life. I don’t think of a Plan B. Stay on Plan A and then when things don’t work out find a way to make Plan A work.”

2024 NFL DRAFT RANKINGS: Who are top 50 players in this year’s class?

What is the 2024 NFL draft order?

The Bears have the first overall pick in the first round. Here’s the full 2024 NFL draft order.

Every No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft

A quarterback has been taken first overall in seven of the last 10 drafts. Here’s every first overall pick since the inaugural draft in 1936:

2023: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama | Carolina Panthers
2022: Travon Walker, DE, Georgia | Jacksonville Jaguars
2021: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson | Jacksonville Jaguars
2020: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU | Cincinnati Bengals
2019: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma | Arizona Cardinals
2018: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma | Cleveland Browns
2017: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M | Cleveland Browns
2016: Jared Goff, QB, California | Los Angeles Rams
2015: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2014: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina | Houston Texans
2013: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan | Kansas City Chiefs
2012: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford | Indianapolis Colts
2011: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn | Carolina Panthers
2010: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma | St. Louis Rams
2009: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia | Detroit Lions
2008: Jake Long, OT, Michigan | Miami Dolphins
2007: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU | Oakland Raiders
2006: Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State | Houston Texans
2005: Alex Smith, QB, Utah | San Francisco 49ers
2004: Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss | San Diego Chargers
2003: Carson Palmer, QB, USC | Cincinnati Bengals
2002: David Carr, QB, Fresno State | Houston Texans
2001: Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech | Atlanta Falcons
2000: Courtney Brown, DE, Penn State | Cleveland Browns
1999: Tim Couch, QB, Kentucky | Cleveland Browns
1998: Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee | Indianapolis Colts
1997: Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State | St. Louis Rams
1996: Keyshawn Johnson, WR, USC | New York Jets
1995: Ki-Jana Carter, HB, Penn State | Cincinnati Bengals
1994: Dan Wilkinson, DT, Ohio State | Cincinnati Bengals
1993: Drew Bledsoe, QB, Washington State | New England Patriots
1992: Steve Emtman, DE, Washington | Indianapolis Colts
1991: Russell Maryland, DT, Miami (FL) | Dallas Cowboys
1990: Jeff George, QB, Illinois | Indianapolis Colts
1989: Troy Aikman, QB, UCLA | Dallas Cowboys
1988: Aundray Bruce, LB, Auburn | Atlanta Falcons
1987: Vinny Testaverde, QB, Miami (FL) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1986: Bo Jackson, HB, Auburn | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1985: Bruce Smith, DE, Virginia Tech | Buffalo Bills
1984: Irving Fryar, WR, Nebraska | New England Patriots
1983: John Elway, QB, Stanford | Baltimore Colts
1982: Kenneth Sims, DE, Texas | New England Patriots
1981: George Rogers, HB, South Carolina | New Orleans Saints
1980: Billy Sims, HB, Oklahoma | Detroit Lions
1979: Tom Cousineau, LB, Ohio State | Buffalo Bills
1978: Earl Campbell, HB, Texas | Houston Oilers
1977: Ricky Bell, HB, USC | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1976: Lee Roy Selmon, DE, Oklahoma | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1975: Steve Bartkowski, QB, Cal | Atlanta Falcons
1974: Ed Jones, DE, Tennessee State | Dallas Cowboys
1973: John Matuszak, DE, Tampa | Houston Oilers
1972: Walt Patulski, DE, Notre Dame | Buffalo Bills
1971: Jim Plunkett, QB, Stanford | New England Patriots
1970: Terry Bradshaw, QB, Louisiana Tech | Pittsburgh Steelers
1969: O.J. Simpson, HB, USC | Buffalo Bills
1968: Ron Yary, OT, USC | Minnesota Vikings
1967: Bubba Smith, DE, Michigan State | Baltimore Colts
1966: Tommy Nobis, LB, Texas | Atlanta Falcons
1965: Tucker Frederickson, HB, Auburn | New York Giants
1964: Dave Parks, WR, Texas Tech | San Francisco 49ers
1963: Terry Baker, QB, Oregon State | Los Angeles Rams
1962: Ernie Davis, HB, Syracuse | Washington Commanders
1961: Tommy Mason, HB, Tulane | Minnesota Vikings
1960: Billy Cannon, HB, LSU | Los Angeles Rams
1959: Randy Duncan, QB, Iowa | Green Bay Packers
1958: King Hill, QB, Rice | Chicago Cardinals
1957: Paul Hornung, HB, Notre Dame | Green Bay Packers
1956: Gary Glick, DB, Colorado A&M | Pittsburgh Steelers
1955: George Shaw, QB, Oregon | Baltimore Colts
1954: Bobby Garrett, QB, Stanford | Cleveland Browns
1953: Harry Babcock, E, Georgia | San Francisco 49ers
1952: Bill Wade, QB, Vanderbilt | Los Angeles Rams
1951: Kyle Rote, HB, SMU | New York Giants
1950: Leon Hart, E, Notre Dame | Detroit Lions
1949: Chuck Bednarik, C/LB, Penn | Philadelphia Eagles
1948: Harry Gilmer, HB/WR, Alabama | Washington Commanders
1947: Bob Fenimore, HB, Oklahoma A&M | Chicago Bears
1946: Frank Dancewicz, QB, Notre Dame | Boston Yanks
1945: Charley Trippi, HB, Georgia | Chicago Cardinals
1944: Angelo Bertelli, QB, Notre Dame | Boston Yanks
1943: Frank Sinkwich, HB, Georgia | Detroit Lions
1942: Bill Dudley, HB, Virginia | Pittsburgh Steelers
1941: Tom Harmon, HB, Michigan | Chicago Bears
1940: George Cafego, HB, Tennessee | Chicago Cardinals
1939: Ki Aldrich, C, TCU | Chicago Cardinals
1938: Corbett Davis, FB, Indiana | Cleveland Rams
1937: Sam Francis, FB, Nebraska | Philadelphia Eagles
1936: Jay Berwanger, HB, Chicago | Philadelphia Eagles

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White House announces new sanctions on Iran following attack against Israel: ‘The pressure will continue’

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement Tuesday announcing that new sanctions will be placed against Iran in the wake of the regime’s attacks against Israel last weekend.

The new sanctions come amid Republican criticism of the Biden administration for purportedly not being tough enough on Iran, after the White House extended a waiver that allowed Iran to access to $10 billion of previously escrowed funds in November 2023.

In a press release, Sullivan announced that President Biden is ‘coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response.’

‘In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry,’ the statement read. 

‘In addition, we continue to work through the Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command to further strengthen and expand the successful integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East to further erode the effectiveness of Iran’s missile and UAV capabilities.’

Sullivan said that the actions the U.S. is taking will ‘continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran’s military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviors.’

‘Over the last three years, in addition to missile and drone-related sanctions, the United States has sanctioned over 600 individuals and entities connected to terrorism, terrorist financing and other forms of illicit trade, horrific human rights abuses, and support for proxy terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Kataib Hezbollah,’ the statement added.

‘The pressure will continue. We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.’

The Biden administration has been heavily criticized by Republicans over its treatment of Iran over the past three years. In addition to the November 2023 waiver extension, the White House also unlocked $6 billion in sanctions relief for Iran as part of a prisoner swap deal in September 2023 – mere weeks before the October 7 attacks. 

‘Under President Trump, Iran was broke,’ Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on X Saturday. ‘President Biden gifted them billions of dollars and then naively said ‘don’t.’’

”Don’t’ is not a foreign policy. Joe Biden’s policies have funded Iran’s attack on Israel,’ Blackburn continued.

In October, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby maintained to Fox News that the Iranian regime has had no access to any of the unfrozen funds.

‘It’s not that we’re not enforcing sanctions. We have been enforcing them. As a matter of fact, we’ve added sanctions. We’ve sanctioned 400 entities in Iran just in the beginning of this administration, let alone the sanctions that came before us,’ Kirby explained.

‘As for the fungibility, again, that money was never going to be tapped by the Iranian regime,’ he continued. ‘They were never going to see it themselves. It was always going to go to vendors that we approved to go to buy humanitarian assistance and medical and food… directly to the Iranian people. The regime was never going to see that or feel that, and they haven’t asked for it.’

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Israeli artist, curators refuse to open exhibit until cease-fire, hostage deal is reached

The artist representing Israel at this year’s Venice Biennale in Italy, along with its curators, said Tuesday they will not open the Israeli pavilion until a cease-fire and hostage deal are reached in Israel’s months-long war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  

A sign on the window of the Israeli pavilion posted Tuesday and written in English reads: ‘The artist and curators of the Israeli pavilion will open the exhibition when a cease-fire and hostage release agreement is reached.’

In a statement, artist Ruth Patir, said she and the curators wanted to show solidarity with the families of the hostages ‘and the large community in Israel who is calling for change.’

‘As an artist and educator, I firmly object to cultural boycott, but I have a significant difficulty in presenting a project that speaks about the vulnerability of life in a time of unfathomed disregard for it,’ Patir said in the statement.

Israel is among 88 national participants in the 60th Venice Biennale, which runs from April 20-Nov. 24. The Israeli pavilion was built in 1952 as a permanent representation of Israel inside the Giardini, the original venue of the world’s oldest contemporary art show and the site of 29 national pavilions. Other nations show in the nearby Arsenale or at venues throughout the city.

But even before the statement, curators and critics had signed an open letter calling on the Biennale to exclude the Israeli national pavilion from this year’s show to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. Those opposed to Israel’s presence had also vowed to protest on-site.

Italy’s culture minister had firmly backed Israel’s participation, and the fair was opening amid unusually heightened security.

The national pavilions at Venice are independent of the main show, and each nation decides its own show, which may or may not play into the curator’s vision. Patir’s Israeli exhibit was titled ‘(M)otherland.’ 

The curators of the Israeli pavilion, Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit, said they were delaying the opening of the exhibit because of the ‘horrific war that is raging in Gaza,’ but that they hoped the conditions would change, so the exhibit could open for public view.

‘There is no end in sight, only the promise of more pain, loss, and devastation. The exhibition is up and the pavilion is waiting to be opened,’ they said. For now, a video work made by Patir can be seen through the pavilion window.

The (M)otherland exhibit was set to run from Saturday, April 20, through Sunday, November 24. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Watchdog group sues Biden admin for docs related to menthol cigarette crackdown

A government watchdog group is suing the Biden administration over documents it has sought via information request related to proposed regulations targeting menthol cigarettes.

Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), alleging that the agency has violated its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Protect the Public’s Trust submitted four FOIA requests for documents pertaining to the proposed federal menthol cigarette ban with HHS and subagency the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late last year, all of which have gone unfulfilled.

PPT describes itself as nonpartisan, a ‘project dedicated to ensuring there is only one standard – one set of rules that our leaders must live by no matter what party affiliation or ideological bent,’ according to its website. It’s headed by Michael Chamberlain, a former communications official at the Department of Education in the Trump administration.

‘The Biden administration and FDA probably thought they would be greeted as conquering heroes when they announced the menthol ban,’ Chamberlain said in a statement. ‘But the science and, as they soon found out, the politics appear to be a lot more complicated than that.’

‘The rule is highly controversial, and it’s important for the American public to understand the factors driving the administration’s actions here,’ he added. ‘But, despite our best efforts and Mr. Biden’s claim of running the most transparent administration in history, the agencies won’t produce records. That seems to indicate there’s something they don’t want the public to know.’

PPT filed its FOIA requests with HHS and FDA in December. The requests asked for communications between several senior officials related to the menthol ban.

However, in the more than 90 days since the four requests, HHS has not produced responsive documents and has not communicated the scope of the documents it intends to produce or withhold, according to PPT. As such, the group argues that HHS has not met its statutory obligations to provide the requested records for the FOIA requests.

‘Through HHS’ failure to either to make a determination within the time period required by law, PPT has constructively exhausted its administrative remedies and seeks immediate judicial review,’ the lawsuit states.

HHS, which was listed as the sole defendant in the lawsuit, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, the White House has repeatedly missed target dates for finalizing the proposed menthol cigarette regulations, the latest of which was this month, and it remains unclear when they will be finalized. The regulations, which would broadly ban menthol cigarette sales nationwide, were first proposed by the FDA two years ago and sent to the White House for final approval months ago.

The FDA said the proposal would reduce disease and even death from tobacco product use by reducing youth experimentation and addiction, while increasing the number of smokers that might quit. Tobacco smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death nationwide, according to the agency.

‘The FDA remains committed to issuing the tobacco product standards for menthol in cigarettes and characterizing flavors in cigars as expeditiously as possible; these rules have been submitted to the [Office of Management and Budget] for review, which is the final step in the rulemaking process,’ an FDA spokesperson recently told Fox News Digital. ‘As we’ve made clear, these product standards remain at the top of our priorities.’

At the same time, the proposed crackdown on menthol cigarettes has sparked a contentious debate between health advocates, who favor the regulations, and civil liberties and business groups, which oppose the regulations.

Groups representing minorities, like the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement and the nonprofit National Action Network – the latter of which was founded by civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton – argue that banning menthol cigarettes while not restricting non-menthol cigarettes ‘puts a microscope on minority communities.’ They say it could increase the probability of negative interactions between police and minorities.

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement, National Action Network, National Newspaper Publishers Association and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump met with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden to discuss the proposal in November, according to White House records.

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‘Nothing would remain’: Iran’s president vows to completely destroy Israel if it launches ‘tiniest invasion’

Iran’s president has vowed to completely destroy Israel, should it proceed with even the ‘tiniest invasion’ of its country.

President Ebrahim Raisi spoke Wednesday at an annual army parade warning Israel of a ‘massive and harsh’ response, as the country braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran’s missile and drone attack over the weekend.

Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday in response to an apparent strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals. Iran blames Israel for the attack, although Israel has not claimed any involvement.

Raisi said Saturday’s attack was a limited one, and that if Iran was provoked to carry out a bigger attack, ‘nothing would remain from the Zionist regime,’ the official IRNA news agency reported.

Raisi’s remarks came during a military parade that was relocated to a barracks north of the capital, Tehran, from its usual venue on a highway in the city’s southern outskirts. Iranian authorities gave no explanation for the relocation.

Uniquely, state TV did not broadcast it live, as it had in previous years.

On Saturday, Israel, with help from the U.S., the United Kingdom, neighboring Jordan and other nations, successfully intercepted nearly every missile and drone that Iran launched. Israel boasted of a 99% success rate, through the use of its Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems.

Israel has vowed to respond, however, without providing additional details on how or when.

The Jewish country’s military council met on Tuesday to decide on future action while its allies have urged all sides to avoid further escalation.

Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war for decades, with the war coming to a head over the past few months as Iran has supported Hamas, which carried out the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history on Oct. 7.

Saturday’s attack was the first direct Iranian military attack on Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Massie threatens to oust Speaker Johnson if he doesn’t step down over foreign aid plan

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing renewed motion to vacate threats a day after he introduced a plan to pass foreign aid.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatened to force a vote to oust the speaker during remarks in House Republicans’ closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday morning, if the speaker did not willingly step aside first. He’s the second conservative to do so after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to vacate against Johnson last month.

‘I asked him to resign…he said he would not,’ Massie told reporters after the meeting. ‘And I said, well, you’re the one who’s going to put us into this because the motion is going to get called, OK? The motion will get called.’

Massie took it a step further and said Johnson would lose more GOP support than the eight House Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last year.

Asked about the chaos wrought in October during the race to replace McCarthy, Massie said, ‘We ended up with some guy nobody in America ever heard of.’

A defiant Johnson said at his weekly press conference afterward, ‘I am not resigning.’

‘It is, in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion. We’re simply here trying to do our job. It is not helpful,’ Johnson said. ‘It is not helping the House Republicans advance our agenda, which is in the best interest of the American people.’

Massie is among the conservatives pushing back against Johnson’s plan for aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, which was announced Monday night and is already facing pushback from members on the right over its lack of border security provisions. He predicted that the proposal would not even pass its initial procedural hurdle on the House floor, a chamber-wide rule vote.

‘I’m the canary in the coal mine. This rule’s dead on arrival,’ Massie said.

A GOP lawmaker who was present at the meeting said Massie told Johnson that he should ‘just get all this legislation out of the way and then announce he’s not going to stay speaker.’

Asked if Massie was serious about trying to oust Johnson, the GOP lawmaker said, ‘I’ve never found him as someone who is not serious.’

A second GOP lawmaker said Johnson responded to Massie with some form of ‘Bring it on’ challenge – and noted that McCarthy made similar comments when presented with a leadership fight.

‘My experience has been so far, don’t do that,’ the second GOP lawmaker said.

While no House Republicans leaving the Tuesday morning meeting said they would back Massie’s effort, they were divided on whether his accusations had any merit.

‘I think if the speaker ignores the obvious desire of the conference to include border control [in the foreign aid plan], and I think a lot of people who want part of this to be paid for, I think he ignores that at his own risk,’ House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital of Massie’s threat, ‘I think it’s ridiculous. Speaker Johnson is doing the best job that he can with a divided conference. I think it’s about time we come together.’

Massie said he would sign onto Greene’s existing resolution to vacate Johnson. But unless they file it as a privileged motion, as was the case with McCarthy, there is nothing compelling House Republican leadership to hold a vote.

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White House deems House impeachment inquiry ‘over,’ President Biden formally declines to testify

The White House formally declined an invitation by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., for President Biden to testify in connection to his son Hunter’s business dealings.

‘As our Office has demonstrated, and you acknowledged in a recent fundraising email, your impeachment investigation is over,’ Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in a letter to Comer on Monday. ‘It is past time for the House to focus on the issues that matter to the American people rather than continuing to waste time and taxpayer resources on this partisan charade.’ 

Sauber said the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry ‘has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the President has done nothing wrong.’ 

‘Yet rather than acknowledge this reality, your March 28, 2024, letter contains the same litany of false allegations that have been repeatedly debunked and refuted by the very witnesses you have called before your Committee and the many documents you have obtained,’ the special counsel told Comer. ‘Your insistence on peddling these false and unsupported allegations despite ample evidence to the contrary makes one thing about your investigation abundantly clear:  The facts do not matter to you.’ 

The National Review published a full copy of the letter also obtained by The Associated Press and other outlets.

Reacting to President Biden’s refusal to testify, Comer issued a blistering statement on his X account, declaring, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Biden family.’ 

‘Like his son, Hunter Biden, President Biden is refusing to testify in public about the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling,’ Comer wrote. ‘This comes as no surprise since President Biden continues to lie about his relationships with his son’s business partners, even denying they exists when his son said under oath during a deposition that they did. It is unfortunate President Biden is unwilling to answer questions before the American people and refuses to answer the very simple, straightforward questions we included in the invitation. Why is it so difficult for the White House to answer those questions? The American people deserve transparency from President Biden, not more lies.’

Despite providing testimony behind closed doors, Hunter Biden declined to testify in a public committee alongside former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, regarding alleged ‘pay-for- influence’ schemes to provide access to certain offices in exchange for payments to the Biden family.    

Notably, Bobulinski at the committee hearing accused Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, of lying under oath regarding the nature of their dealings with the Chinese conglomerate CEFC. 

In a March 28 letter, Comer invited President Biden to ‘explain, under oath,’ what involvement he had in the Biden family businesses, claiming the committee ‘has accounted for over $24 million that has flowed from foreign sources to you, your family and their business associates.’ 

The letter included questions about Biden’s interactions with specific foreign business officials. 

Comer told President Biden that ‘you have asserted your pressuring Ukraine in 2015 to fire a government official investigating a company in which your son has a financial interest was wholly in line with U.S. policy.’ 

The committee received bank records showing Hunter Biden was paid $1 million per year for his position on the board of the Ukrainian company Burisma until Joe Biden left office, when Hunter’s salary ‘was inexplicably cut in half,’ Comer wrote. The letter specifically asks if President Biden has interacted with executives at Burisma Holdings, which was at the center of the indictment of a former FBI informant in February who the Justice Department accused of providing false information to the FBI.  

The indictment says the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, claimed that during meetings with Burisma executives, they admitted to hiring Hunter to ‘protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems,’ and later that they had specifically paid $5 million for such protection. But the DOJ goes on the claim that those events that Smirnov first reported to the FBI Agent in June 2020 were ‘fabrications.’ 

Sauber, who was brought on in 2022 to oversee the president’s response to congressional investigations into the Biden family, is leaving the White House early next month to return to the private sector. 

To replace him, the White House is elevating his deputy, Rachel Cotton. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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