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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Rams Rally Past Bengals to Win Super Bowl LVI; Wal-Mart Drops Mask Mandate for Vaccinated Employees; Biden Threatens Putin with "Swift and Severe Costs" if He Invades Ukraine. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired February 14, 2022 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[05:00:00]

LAURA JARRETT, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: L.A. rallying late to beat the Bengals, Andy Scholes was there and joins us with this morning's "BLEACHER REPORT". Hi, Andy, did you get any sleep --

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

JARRETT: We were out partying all night.

SCHOLES: No, I wasn't partying, I was working, Laura, I haven't gotten much sleep, but it was -- it was certainly worth it. I mean, Super Bowl LVI is going to go down as one of the best ever. I mean, it had it all. Emotional lead changes, a heartbreaking injury, an amazing half-time show, one of the best we've ever seen, and of course, it had a fantastic finish. Show you some highlights, fourth quarter, the Rams were down 20-16, and Matthew Stafford putting together a 15-play, 79- yard drive ending with him hitting Cooper Kupp for his second touch- down reception of the game.

That put L.A. in the lead. Joe Burrow had a chance to go down to win the game, but Aaron Donald gets in here on fourth down, forcing the incompletion. Donald and that Rams defense sacking Burrow's Super Bowl record tying seven times, Rams get the win 23-20, Kupp named the game's MVP, and Donald, emotional on the field afterwards, delivering the Rams their first Super Bowl in a long time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON DONALD, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, LOS ANGELES RAMS: I'm just so happy. I wanted this so bad, I dreamed this, man. I dreamed this. And it's like -- it's surreal. Look at this. Look at this, man. This is -- I feel amazing. I feel amazing. I feel great.

COOPER KUPP, WIDE RECEIVER, LOS ANGELES RAMS: I don't feel deserving of this. I mean, God is just so good. I'm just so thankful for the guys I get to be around, for the coaches, for my family. I just -- I don't -- I don't know what to say.

MATTHEW STAFFORD, QUARTERBACK, LOS ANGELES RAMS: Well, I'm just so proud of this group. I mean, the game today is the story of our season. You know, it's up and down, it's tough. And we're a freaking tough team, showed up late and got it done. I'm just -- I'm excited.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, and this win a long time coming for Matthew Stafford. He spent 12 seasons in Detroit, you know, suffered through a lot of losing there. And Stafford -- Rams head coach Sean McVay actually ran into each other vacationing in Cabo last off season. That's when McVay decided to trade for Stafford, hoping he would get the Rams a Super Bowl title. And hey, mission accomplished. And what a season for Cooper Kupp, he's been the best receiver all year, winning the Triple Crown in receiving, that's most receptions, most yards and most touchdowns.

He was named the offensive player of the year earlier in the week, and now a Super Bowl MVP. The great Jerry Rice, the only other receiver to do all of that, and he did it in a career. Kupp did it all this season. And the Rams' celebration also including an on-field proposal. Taylor Rapp getting down on one knee, asking his girlfriend, Dani, to marry him. She, of course, would say yes. There was actually a Super Bowl pop that you could have made that a player would propose on the field after the game, paid 4-1 if one did it.

All right, and guys, that was not the only family news the Rams had last night, wide receiver Van Jefferson's wife had to leave the game because she went into labor. And then Jefferson had to cut short his celebrating to get to the hospital. He later posted this picture of himself holding his newborn son. So, what a night for him. A Super Bowl title --

(CROSSTALK)

And a newborn son, all in one. And you know, guys, before I said this Super Bowl had it all, it really did. It was an amazing night.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: Oh, wow, all right --

JARRETT: Congrats to him for sure --

ROMANS: Thank you, Andy. All right, it had it all. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, he may be savoring this victory more than anyone here. David Birkett covers the Lions for the "Detroit Free Press". He joins us with that part of the Super Bowl story. Thanks for joining -- staying up late with us or getting up early for us. I think it's staying up late is probably safe to say. This win was 12 years in the making for Stafford. What's the feeling in Detroit for their long-time quarterback who was never quite able to get to the top of the mountain in the Motor City?

DAVID BIRKETT, LIONS REPORTER, DETROIT FREE PRESS: I think most people here are happy for him. There's probably a little bit of jealousy, you know, wondering why he couldn't do this in Detroit or the Lions couldn't do this with the -- you know, with the right sort of team around him. But Matthew was, for all that he did in the community, for what he meant to a lot of people on the field, I think by and large, Lions fans are pretty excited for Matthew and him finally getting a ring.

JARRETT: David, Stafford's wife Kelly went through this very public battle, of course, with brain cancer back in 2019. She's now cancer- free thankfully. This had to have been a really special moment for the two of them to be able to share last night.

BIRKETT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, look, Kelly has been a big part of Matthew's life, I think anyone here in Detroit really -- anyone who follows football probably knows that. You're right, she had the brain tumor. It was benign, but what a scary moment for her and for the family, you know to go through that ordeal, and Matthew was there by her side, she was very public about that.

[05:05:00]

And I think everyone saw really after the NFC Championship game when she ran on the field and gave Matthew a big hug. You know, I guess what that relationship was about, and beyond that, you know, I think if you read Matthew's lips or what one of his friends told me, at least, it was -- you know, we're not done yet. And so --

ROMANS: Wow --

BIRKETT: As elated as they were to get to the Super Bowl, I think last night was really what it was about for him, for her and for the family.

ROMANS: Hey, David, does this win stamp Stafford's ticket, do you think, to the hall of fame?

BIRKETT: You know, that's a little bit tougher question. You know, I'm a hall of fame voter, and I'm not sure about that. I mean, everyone has their different criteria. To me, it's really, are you the best, you know, at your position in the small handful of people that are in that conversation over a certain period of time? And I don't know that he's ever been in that group, you know, to this point in his career.

It's always been Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and now it's Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. So, I think Stafford still might have a little bit of work to do, but look, when you lead a drive late in the hall of fame like he did, when you put up the numbers that he's going to put up in his career, when you have a signature moment like he did, it's going to be tough to overlook. I think it's going to be a debate that will go on in the hall of fame, you know, voting room when he gets there, when the time comes.

I'm not sure it's going to happen. I don't know if it's going to happen right away. And I think what happens with some of these quarterbacks that come before him, guys like Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, I think that will determine a lot whether Matthew Stafford is a hall of fame quarterback.

JARRETT: All right, we shall see. David Birkett of the "Detroit Free Press", thanks so much for coming --

ROMANS: Nice to see you --

JARRETT: On EARLY START --

ROMANS: Thank you --

JARRETT: Appreciate it.

BIRKETT: Good, guys.

JARRETT: All right, there is another big story happening within the NFL right now. A black former head coach suing the NFL for race discrimination, and President Biden now weighing in, calling on the league to be, in his words, more decent. Let's go to Washington and bring back in CNN's Jasmine Wright. Jasmine, the president's language on this issue was somewhat guarded, somewhat winding. But his point seemed to be, do better.

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Laura, that's right. Look, the president appeared to use his words very carefully here, but the message was clear. He is calling for the NFL to be more diverse when it comes to their coaches and people in those higher places. And if you talk to White House officials, they'll tell you, and they tell me frequently that this is a theme of the president's presidency.

That he wants more equity, more diversity both in the federal government, but also incentivizing private companies to do more to make sure that more of their staff reflects the country. So, I think that we can look at this little push from the president, though carefully worded, as part of that. And I just have to mention here that, this, of course, is a stark difference from the president's predecessor, former Trump who really attacked the NFL and attacked players who would be protesting on the field for improved conditions for black lives.

Now, in another theme that has really come to define the president's presidency and really something that he ran on, is going to be the pandemic and COVID. And he spoke about personal responsibility when asked about individuals' mask-use wearing at the Super Bowl. Take a listen here to his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're exercising personal freedom puts someone else in jeopardy, their health in jeopardy. I don't consider that being very -- dealing with freedom. It's about moving in the direction you know is likely to diminish the prospects that this virus continues to spread. We know we have so many more tools at our disposal to prevent death and prevent serious illness, and I just think they should be careful.

And if they're not careful for themselves, at least think of their children. Think of, you know, their families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: And so, that statement from the president, think of your families, be careful. It's been really a through line through this year, plus, that he has now been in office. So, a little bit of news here on Super Bowl Sunday from the president. And I will just add that he also said in this "NBC" interview that he thought the L.A. Rams would be tough to beat --

JARRETT: Yes --

WRIGHT: And, boy, was he right?

JARRETT: There you go. All right, Jasmine, thank you.

ROMANS: Yes. All right, Wal-Mart is rolling out a new set of pandemic policies. Vaccinated employees no longer required to wear masks unless state and local governments mandate them. Unvaccinated employees and those who work in clinical care settings like pharmacies, they still have to keep that mask on. And next month, Wal-Mart dropping a pandemic sick-pay policy they gave associates extra paid time off beyond sick leave.

JARRETT: Up next, a dramatic decision overnight on the fate of that young Russian skater caught up in an Olympic doping scandal.

ROMANS: Plus, the stark warning on Russia from a top U.S. national security official.

JARRETT: And we have the Super Bowl ads that worked and the ones that don't.

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[05:10:00]

ROMANS: Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva will be back on the ice at the Beijing Winter games. Valieva's Olympic fate was in the hands of an arbitration court after she tested positive for a banned substance back in December. CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan live in Beijing for us again this morning. Christine, did the court explain why she gets to compete again?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: They said that they -- she's a minor, so she's a protected athlete, and they then give her more of an opportunity than, say, someone who is a little bit older which, of course, is certainly open for a lot of questions, Christine, moving forward. And also because she didn't have time, they're saying, to mount a defense because the test, of course, was Christmas Day, December 25th.

[05:15:00]

Only got the result, the negative -- the positive result, the bad result on February 8th. So they're saying she didn't have time to be able to defend herself. Now, there is a flip side of this, and because Russia is, you know, the worst doping nation since the East Germans, the -- of course, a minor the Russians know that a minor would be treated differently. That there is a technicality, a loophole. so-to- speak to let her compete, and also if the Russians decided to go ahead and slow-walk that test.

Turns out, the world anti-doping agency never knew that it wanted to -- that the test needed to be expedited. So, wow -- I mean, that by itself is a bit of a bombshell. Russia then knowing exactly, potentially, Christine, knowing exactly what they needed to do so that they would win this kind of a decision, and so they'd be able to keep her on the ice.

ROMANS: So, there are so many wrinkles to this story. I mean, she's 15, she's a minor. I mean, the country can't even compete under its own flag because its system of doping is so endemic. Does the ruling resolve the question hanging over the figure skating team event? You know, will the ROC, U.S. and Japanese teams, are they going to get -- are they going to get their medals?

BRENNAN: That -- as you ask, this news has just broken in the last 15 minutes or so. The International Olympic Committee has answered in a very big way and a very serious way about the medals. They have said no medal ceremony for the --

ROMANS: Wow --

BRENNAN: Team competition. Russia first, yes, U.S. second, and Japan third. They're not going to have it. And I think even bigger news that, again, has just occurred here in Beijing is that there will be no -- assuming that Kamila Valieva is in the top three of the women's event, which, of course, she's expected to win the gold medal. Assuming she's in the top three, there will be no flower ceremony on the ice and no medal ceremony.

And if she's in the top 24, in other words, making the cut from the short program to the long program, Thursday night's long program, they will add another skater, a 25th woman just in case. And what this means is they're treating her as if she basically doesn't exist. And this is a very significant answer to the fiasco that the Russians have created with their doping. The IOC just answering back big time to CAS, this decision, and basically saying, we are acting as if none of this counts.

(CROSSTALK)

And that is extraordinary -- that's right, the Court of Arbitration for Sports, that was the ruling a few hours ago that set everything in motion that allows her to compete. Very controversial ruling. Surprised me, I think surprised a lot of people because if you're for doping or against it, and if you're against doping, you're obviously someone who's had a positive drug test in the last two months, even though she's only 15, and even though there's a lot of sympathy for her, you couldn't possibly let her compete.

The IOC is now really playing hardball. And this is a huge answer back, and really just creates this bizarre situation where there would be then no medal ceremony, not only for the team, but also the women's competition.

ROMANS: Just fascinating. OK, Christine, thank you so much for that, keep us posted on any new developments there. No medal ceremony there for them. All right --

JARRETT: It's so hard for the other athletes who have trained for this for so long --

ROMANS: I know --

JARRETT: And is waiting for their moment.

ROMANS: And this Kamila Valieva is a very talented -- you know, it's unfortunate for her whatever kind of system she's in. She is a minor, she is a child under the law. Talented, but taking a grown-up angina medicine, you know --

JARRETT: Yes --

ROMANS: Raising all kinds of questions --

JARRETT: It's super said all around. Up next for you, is Vladimir Putin headed for war with Ukraine or will he listen to diplomacy at last?

ROMANS: And a '90s house party comes alive on the Super Bowl stage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

JARRETT: Welcome back. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan not mincing words on the situation in Ukraine. He's still holding out hope that a diplomatic solution can be reached somehow. He gave this frank assessment about a potential invasion by Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We cannot perfectly predict the day, but we have now been saying for some time that we are in the window and an invasion could begin, a major military action could begin by Russia in Ukraine any day now. That includes this coming week before the end of the Olympics. The way they have maneuvered things in place makes it a distinct possibility that there will be major military action very soon.

And we are prepared to continue to work on diplomacy, but we are also prepared to respond in a united and decisive way with our allies and partners should Russia proceed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the very latest from Moscow for us. Fred, you heard Jake Sullivan there. We are in the window, but is there any sign that the Kremlin --

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

JARRETT: Wants to sort of course, correct here, or is it too late?

PLEITGEN: Well, the Russians certainly are saying that they still want diplomacy, that they believe that diplomacy might still have a chance. And quite frankly, they're also saying that they don't have any sort of intention of invading Ukraine. It was quite interesting because of course, there was that big call between Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and U.S. President Joe Biden on the weekend on Saturday.

And afterwards, a senior aide to the Russian president said that right now, he believed that there was an air of hysteria which had reached its climax, that's sort of internationally being talked about what's going on there on the border with Ukraine. But they also described the atmosphere in which this call took place as being very business-like. Of course, the U.S. saying that President Biden said that there would be a swift and decisive response if Russia further invades Ukraine.

[05:25:00]

Whereas the Russian side is saying that they had put forward those security demands to the United States, and of course, also including the withdrawal of many NATO forces from eastern European NATO-member states, and it guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, all that has already been flat-out rejected by the United States. But the Russians say they still want some sort of answer. I just got the latest for you, guys.

Actually, we just got off a call with the Kremlin press secretary and he said that Vladimir Putin is today meeting with both his foreign minister and defense minister. So, obviously, this will be something that will be on the agenda there as well. And while the Russians are saying that they want diplomacy, they want talks, they also said they want further talks with President Biden as well. The U.S. is saying that more Russian troops are arriving on the border there.

They said thousand additional -- of additional extra troops have arrived near the borders with Ukraine over the past couple of days, over the past week, and of course, at the same time, sort of massive military maneuver is going on to the north of Ukraine in Belarus, also involving the Russian military and in the Black Sea to the south of Ukraine as well. So certainly, the Russians really seeming to up the ante while at the same time saying, they very much want diplomacy to work.

JARRETT: All right, Fred, thank you for staying on top of this for us. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: All right, coming up, the consumer sentiment polls are lousy, but guess what? We'll tell you why most of the country is coming out ahead even with 40-year-high inflation.

JARRETT: And what might be the most memorable commercial from last night's Super Bowl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always struggled with having good lighting.

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