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Olympics president says he is not communicating with Trump as wildfires threaten 2028 LA Games

International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach says he is not communicating with President-elect Trump before leaving office later this year. 

Bach told DPA International News he congratulated Trump on the Republican's election victory in November but has not sought any other communication beyond that.

"I don't think it would be really fair or right, with regard to my successor, to seek contact again now and perhaps influence any decisions that are then incumbent on my successor," Bach said of not speaking to Trump. 

The IOC has its own presidential election in March with Bach about to leave office in June.  

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Bach's lack of communication with Trump comes as the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires have put the viability of Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in doubt. 

As of now, there are no plans to move the 2028 Games out of Los Angeles. The 2028 Games were to be the first in history in which the host city would not have to build any new venues due to the number of stadiums and arenas in the city. But many of the areas where those venues are located have been decimated by fires. 

Olympic venues close to areas affected by the fires include the Riviera Country Club, the Olympic Village, Pauley Pavilion and Rose Bowl Stadium.

LA2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman said in a statement he was confident Los Angeles would rally from the wildfires and that they would not undercut the Olympics. 

"Los Angeles is defined by its resilience and determination," Wasserman said. "The strength of our communities and our unity in tough times make this city extraordinary, and when Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told NBC News the state is "organizing a Marshall plan" to ensure the Olympics can still commence in Los Angeles in 2028. 

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"President Donald Trump was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America — to get it down here in LA. We thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine," Newsom said. 

"That's why we're already organizing a Marshall plan. We already have a team looking, reimagining LA 2.0, and we're making sure everyone's included."

However, the prospect of the city being able to host the Olympics amid what is projected to be years of reconstruction has been criticized by some. 

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in an interview with Newsmax he believes the Olympics should be moved to a Republican-controlled city and state.

"I do think the American people rightly see how poorly that state is being run, how poorly these tragic fires have been handled by the governor and, of course, the mayor there in Los Angeles," Jordan said. 

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has also suggested the Olympics be moved out of Los Angeles in 2028, suggesting Dallas or Miami as the new host city.

"The Los Angeles Olympics should be canceled," Kirk wrote on X. "If you can’t fill a fire hydrant, you aren’t qualified to host the Olympics. Move them to Dallas, or Miami, so the world’s athletes can compete in a place capable of actually safely building and running something." 

Before the fires, Bach expressed confidence in Trump's ability to lead the organizing of the 2028 Olympics in early December. 

"We are very confident there with regard to the steps and efforts being undertaken," Bach said at a news conference after an executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland. "We saw also that President-elect Trump repeatedly declared his support for the Games, which we never had any doubt because he has declared this support from the very beginning."

Bach added that Olympic leaders are "very confident and relaxed" about working with Trump.

Trump and Bach last met in June 2017 at the White House when discussing a bid to bring the Olympics back to Los Angeles. Trump has taken credit for securing the 2028 bid. However, Bach did not speak flatteringly of Trump after that first meeting. 

"Pray for our world," Bach was heard to say on a cellphone call later that day in Washington, D.C.

Now, Trump will have the task of leading America's hosting of the Olympics after one of the worst disasters in the host city's history. He will have to make decisions without any consultation from the sitting IOC president until a new one is elected.

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Bears' Caleb Williams reveals he was 'fuming' after Ben Johnson catfishing prank

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said he was "fuming" after getting pranked by several kids into believing Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had accepted the Bears’ head coaching job. 

Williams went viral this week after a video surfaced showing a group of young kids texting him as Johnson. 

The rookie quarterback, believing the kids, jumped on a FaceTime call, where the prank was revealed. 

Williams appeared to laugh off the encounter on the call, but in an appearance on the "St. Brown" podcast with Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, he revealed just how upset he was after the prank. 

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"That whole night I was getting texts. I was obviously getting spam calls from all my friends, like, ‘No way,’" Williams recalled.  "I didn’t respond to one text. I was so mad. Pissed!" 

Williams said he knew the kids were filming and was "trying not to flip out," but it was a different story when he hung up. 

"When I got off the call, I was fuming. I wanted to smash some s---. I was fuming," he said, laughing about it. 

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Williams doesn’t know how they got his number, which he claims to have had at least 15 years. 

"The text was so official. Like I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all of that. … It looked mad professional," Williams said, adding he has since changed his phone number.   

"I don’t know. I’ve had the number for probably 15 years. I don’t have it no more. New number. But I’ve had it for 15 years and so. I don’t know. Somebody must’ve gave it to them. Somebody must’ve said something, or he got lucky and just dialed the number." 

Despite his immediate reaction to the prank, Williams did give the young fans some credit. 

"I ain’t gonna lie. It was a classic prank. It was a Grade A, S-tier prank. I gotta give them props. I wasn’t locked in in the moment." 

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Vikings legend says Sam Darnold 'should be the guy' moving forward despite poor ending to season

It could be argued Sam Darnold cost himself a lot of money over his last couple games, but one Minnesota Vikings legend says Darnold's done enough to remain the team's quarterback.

In his first 16 games, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft rewrote his story, throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 68.1% of his passes. All of those numbers were, by far, career highs.

But in his final two games — one in which he could have clinched the top seed and the other a playoff game — he threw for just one touchdown pass and 411 yards and led his offense to just 18 points.

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Darnold looked in those final two games like what he was known for before arriving in Minnesota, and there are now calls for the team to move on to J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback they selected with the 10th pick last year.

But former Vikings running back Chuck Foreman thinks Darnold did enough to remain the starter.

"The guy comes into the league, he's drafted by a team that has no talent, he gets labeled. Goes to another team with no talent, gets labeled more. Then he goes to San Francisco, a winning team to get behind the coach that shows him the way … and then he comes here with Kevin, and he takes them to another level," Foreman told Outkick's "The Ricky Cobb Show." 

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Foreman shifted blame for the two losses to Minnesota's offensive line rather than Darnold, who, he said, was helpless against the Lions and Rams. 

"The pressure he was under, I only see one or two other quarterbacks that could have any kind of escapability with that, and that's Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen," Foreman added.

"I'm signing him, I'm hoping they can both come together in the middle. I understand the money part, but I hope Sam understands his career has been revived right here. And he's got a following here. Make adjustments next season, but I think he should be the guy."

Darnold is a free agent after the season and is a candidate for a franchise tag. His previous highs in yards and touchdowns were 3,024 and 19, respectively, in 2019 with the team that drafted him, the New York Jets.

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