this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. the way i got into the nfl was a miracle. to the way i got into the nfl was a miracle-— the way i got into the nfl was a miracle. ., ., . ~ ., _, a miracle. to head back to your old haunts? — a miracle. to head back to your old haunts? absolutely. -

a miracle. to head back to your old haunts? absolutely. the i old haunts? absolutely. the more peeple _ old haunts? absolutely. the more people see _ old haunts? absolutely. the| more people see inspiration4 old haunts? absolutely. the i more people see inspiration4 a more people see inspirationli a story— more people see inspirationli a story that — more people see inspirationli a story that the _ more people see inspirationli a story that the more _ more people see inspirationli a story that the more they- more people see inspiration4 a story that the more they can i story that the more they can think— story that the more they can think to _ story that the more they can think to themselves - story that the more they can think to themselves "i - story that the more they can think to themselves "i can . story that the more they can i think to themselves "i can do what — think to themselves "i can do what they— think to themselves "i can do what they did. _ think to themselves "i can do what they did.— think to themselves "i can do what they did. the roads to the nfl is littered _ what they did. the roads to the nfl is littered with _ what they did. the roads to the nfl is littered with broken - nfl is littered with broken dreams and thatjourney dreams and that journey encompasses dreams and thatjourney encompasses high school and couege encompasses high school and college before a select few reach the promised land. his route was not like many who had gone before but his story is far from typical. gone before but his story is farfrom typical. his gone before but his story is far from typical. his story began at age 20, far from the glitz and glamour in london. one of my friends played for the warriors and he saw that we work similar bills and he was very simply max skinny and when i saw him again he had size on him and he said it would be a good fit and i saw all these things and it was very strange

at never seen anything like that. i thought someone was going to grow because i did something wrong and everyone was cheering and it was that embraced that if i do that more and the physical... embraced that if i do that more and the physical. . ._ and the physical... abada's is -roducts and the physical... abada's is products was _ and the physical... abada's is products was rapid _ and the physical... abada's is products was rapid and - and the physical... abada's is products was rapid and he - and the physical... abada's is l products was rapid and he went to the nfl but reaching the pinnacle is one thing. staying there is another thing entirely. after spells in dallas, kansas city and atlanta, the breakthrough came in charlotte. from there the journey continued in buffalo and washington. the average nfl career lasted little more than three years and the battle can be long and arduous? it three years and the battle can be long and arduous?- three years and the battle can be long and arduous? it took me awhile because _ be long and arduous? it took me awhile because initially - be long and arduous? it took me awhile because initially it - be long and arduous? it took me awhile because initially it was . awhile because initially it was - 0k, awhile because initially it was - ok, i awhile because initially it was — ok, i am in a different country, different culture, and thenit country, different culture, and then it is ok, i am playing a sport i have played before and not only am i living in a new

country but i am trying to learn a new sport and train my body and this different lifestyle as an athlete, learn the different languages and learn the rules of the game so it took me awhile and then also been thrusted into the limelight. i did not understand how huge that was, how huge the nfl was. so it be awhile. there were stages where i felt like i had imposter syndrome because of my career. lots of rejection. lots of fighting and having to claw and stay around and keep knocking on the door and keep knocking on the door and keep knocking on the door and keep improving and there was a time when i was out for a year and i wanted to canada and i was trying to develop so that plays on your confidence, especially when you don't know the game. you are getting your asking to everyday and it is going to pay off eventually, so it took me a long time to get

comfortable, and even to some degree i am not comfortable. i am still learning. every year brings new challenges and new lessons. , , ., ., �* , lessons. this is one of nfl's pioneers — lessons. this is one of nfl's pioneers. drafted _ lessons. this is one of nfl's pioneers. drafted into - lessons. this is one of nfl's . pioneers. drafted into thousand and three having a school and couege and three having a school and college football he knows just how hard it is to make it to the professional game. you have to think of it— the professional game. you have to think of it as _ the professional game. you have to think of it as a _ the professional game. you have to think of it as a sport _ the professional game. you have to think of it as a sport that - to think of it as a sport that the entire country loves, is crazy about, everyone wants to play the game, so they have been playing that game since there were four, five, six years old over there and it is a difficult sport to play, competitive, even getting into the college game is competitive. so, what about reaching the nfl having not played football in your formative years? improbable but the good thing about that is the good thing about that is the main differencing factor between the nfl and another lot of sports is if you have extreme level of athleticism, size and intelligence you can

translate to make it to the game and this is to his advantage. in the context of obada's life, fighting for a place in pro football is just another obstacle that's been overcome. born in warri, nigeria, obada left the country of his birth with his sister, age five or six, and moved to the netherlands, where he remembers meeting his mother for the first time. at ten, he and his sister were trafficked to the uk and abandoned. the pair were looked after by a security guard in hackney before social services took them in. from there they moved from home to home, never truly settling and endured no end of hardship. how much do you remember of your early days in this country? just, just a normal... just normal kids really just going to school, wanting to go college, university, playing outside, you know, it'sjust regularstuff, really. how much of what happened to you in those early days, do you think shaped

who you are as a person now? i thinkjust the, in terms of growing up in foster care, just the instability and just uncertainty of where, you know, just not having a place to go home. i feel like it translates in terms of being in the nfl. just the fact that there's just this level of uncertainty. you can play. you can be on one team with this moment. you can be on another team, you know, living out of a suitcase, you know? and that's, that's something i still do right now. you know, it's just this global lifestyle that i have and just being comfortable and being uncomfortable, i guess. were you angry about yoursituation when you were growing up? those situations i definitely was angry and i was frustrated. but myjourney isn't, you know, isn't uncommon. and a lot of people that grew up around, a lot of friends of mine in similar situations, i'm very fortunate that i was able to have the opportunities that i was presented and made the most of them. for me, the people that were around me had similar situations. there was an understanding, you know, or their parents were in similar situations, you know, so there was, there was this level of understanding. so itjust felt normal to me,

you know, it'sjust what it was, you know, the cards that i was dealt. but it wasn't until i got into the nfl and just, you know, all of us started seeing different environments and different, and having different conversations, that i was able to kind of look back and understand that, well, this part of my life wasn't normal. going through this wasn't normal. these things that i've normalised and just deemed, you know, it wasn't normal. a lot of people find solace in sport. was that the case for you? initially, yeah, it was. it was this outlet of frustration and allowed me to be physical, allowed me to exert my anger and frustration of my situation or lack of opportunities that ihad. itjust kind of led to something amazing, you know, that afforded me a great life and it allowed me the opportunity to give back and have an impact in my community. under pressure - and down he goes! and obada with the sack for washington. - i heard you on a podcast saying that you've been running away from something in your life, which i found

is interesting because of your role in american football is defensive and you're always running towards something. have you ever worked out what it is you're running from? i think the lack of opportunities, you know, the frustration just of where i was an immigrant, couldn't work, couldn't further my education, you know, the area i grew up, the people that were around me. there's only a certain amount of options that you have. and given those, those cards, you know, and eventually you're just going to get pulled in a certain direction. and that's kind of what i was running away from, because in my heart, that's not really who i am. and your environment kind of turns you into someone else or, you know, just so you can survive, so you can provide. and i think that's what i was running away from. so given the opportunity, like the nfl, something so big like that, i was able to, like, i didn't even have a passport before the nfl, you know, and i was able to get me on a plane. even when i was in a practice squad, i was making really good money that i was able

to send back home. and i was like, you know, i'm going to hold on to this because i know what's waiting for me, i know. and that's not what i want for myself. while you identify as british, thus far, you've been unable to get a british passport, which must be incredibly frustrating. it was frustrating. i was in foster care and you know, when i was a minor, they were supposed to sort it out for me. and my immigration and my papers. but i did fall through the cracks. they didn't sort it out. you know, rules changed. and unfortunately, i wasn't able to get it. and i'm still fighting to get it. and although i do feel british, it's still, i still feel like it's a country that just kind of doesn't, you know, accept me. but, you know, hopefully, you know, with time, i'll be able to get that. and then that can be just a part of my life that's just, that'll be behind me. does it hurt, that feeling of not being accepted, given the fact you do so much? a little bit. but, you know, that's, these are the crosses and these are hurdles that i have to overcome and i have to bear. i have a lot of empathy

because, like i said, i grew up around people in similar situations and are still in similar situations, probably have more of a right to be in the country than i do because of the amount of years they've been in this country, but still are struggling and fighting and, you know, going through solicitors and having to, you know, just adjust based on the rules and changes that happened in the uk. and some of them can't even leave the country, you know, and i'm very fortunate. i'm blessed that i have the ability to go in and out as i as i please. it's just having that indefinite inability to just kind of call england my home and be recognised as a british citizen. a traumatic upbringing often leaves scars. in many cases, they aren't always visible to the naked eye or obvious to those who carry them. you're involved heavily in mind. what is your role with them? i think they're a great, great foundation, the great charity that has a huge impact. for the nfl, every year you get to choose my cause, my cleats. and this year, because i went

into therapy and i just saw the impact, i saw the change in terms of, like, how i treat people, how i view the world. you know, it'sjust, itjust impacted everything. my confidence when i play, how i dealt with issues, that when growing up and, you know, and you know, then how i cope with certain things and i think like, you know mind offers that space and that's why i wanted to work with them and it's important for people to kind of go there and if they're having issues. the environment in the nfl, it's very macho, it's very alpha male. so opening up about how you feel might be seen as a sign of weakness, but how did you sort of marry the two aspects of your life with that together? notjust only in the nfl, right? you know, just even in the communities, even in the house, in african households, in lots of households, it's very taboo. and especially as a man like it's like, well, just get on with it. you know, it's always this mindset of all someone else has it worse. so itjust kind of negates your feelings and, you know,

and pushes it down. and i have an amazing platform, you know, and i, ifelt some type of way and it was impacting my, my life. it was impacting the way i treat people, is impacting my relationships. and i wanted to fix that. and then this isn't something that i could have an opportunity to do it years ago, but i didn't have that. like i said, it was very taboo. i didn't have the space. i've been programmed to feel like, ok, well, just get on with it, you know, like, it is, what it is. and also i felt guilty because i was like, well, i'm an nfl player. like, what do i have to complain about? it's a huge thing. men are killing themselves. people are depressed, you know, and people don't know how to cope with what they're dealing with. people are acting out on autopilot on certain things and not understanding. did you feel a great weight off your mind when you started to open up? at first i was scared! my mind! i was so scared, you know, i didn't know how it would be received. i felt so exposed. i felt vulnerable. it was so therapeutic. once i got it out and i started

talking and i said, this is my stance and this is what i believe and this is what this is. it really helped. like, honestly, it really helped. i even got in front of my team and spoke about myjourney and to use that to kind of galvanise and bring everybody together and just express that, just the gratitude and the immense privilege that we have as nfl players. and honestly, like, i would never... like, years ago, iwould never do something like that. but itjust kind of shows how helpful, you know, looking after your mental health was for me and how helpful it was for me, like, it's really helped me. what was the response from your team—mates when you did talk to them about your situation? you know, it's funny. like, you know, at first i was, like, when i was out there, my heart was beating. but then i shared it. everybody clapped and afterwards we went into our next meeting. but then over the course of the weeks, like, people just started coming to me and just kind of expressing like, you know, they appreciate me

sharing and then they also, like, itjust kind of created that platform for them to share their experiences and theirjourney as well. and now, like, that was amazing. like, you know, i learned so much about my team—mates. i was able to connect on a deeper level, you know, and then also, as you kind of, i gained, like, friendships to a point. and yeah, so it was it was very helpful. i was going to say, has it made you a better player, do you feel? 100%. you know, it made me definitely more confident, made me more trust in my abilities and where i come from. initially, i had the imposter syndrome and i feel like that's gone. like, i've accepted my role and who i am as a person. and i've kind of detached from my past and my internal voice and who i see. it's not it's not as negative. and even when it does get negative and when i do dip, i have the tools and the recognition and the awareness to understand that, ok, well, i feel this way instead of catastrophising or spiralling, you know, into a certain point. efe obada, the fifth—year man out of nigeria, _ with his first sack of the season. i former pro coachjerry glanville once famously declared that nfl stands for �*not for long' due

to the short career span at the top of the game. this makes obada's longevity, coupled with his unusual rise to the top, all the more impressive. the average career in. the nfl is three years, 3.3 to be exact. so the fact that somebody who's come from his background, i come from the places - that he came from, not played the game for an extended period of time, has been in the nfl- for double the league average, is a testament to this guy's i character it's a testament to his athletic ability, i the testament to his will, his spirit. i and he's going to keep - on playing for quite a few more years, we expect. he's intelligent. he's very aggressive, very, very athletic, i his size, obviously. so all those things _ you combine into one person and you have a guy who's been in the league for. seven years now. as a seven—year veteran of the nfl, obada has lived in various cities and states across the usa. american football has given him a life he could have only dreamed of, but he's never forgotten where he comes from. so back in london, is london still home for you? london is definitely still home for me.

ioo%, yes. how does life in the usa compare to life in england? it's totally different, you know, because life in the uk, it was different because i was younger. i went through the traditional school system and working, normaljob. and then in the nfl, i'm some nfl player, i'm an nfl player, you know, i'm a star! so, yeah, it's definitely different. how do you feel whenever you come back home? i feel grounded. i feel humbled. the nfl is such this... it's this all—consuming thing, you know, and it's this... we're all in this echo chamber of football then, these large amounts of wages and, you know, and salaries and, you know, and just having, being around the best of the best of everything. and then you come back home and it'sjust, you know, you get to see just the disparity and, you know, and it's just different. it's just different. do you still head back to your old haunts or do you try to avoid that? oh, no, no, istill do. yeah, listen, i'll go back.

i'll go back around. yeah. especially i do some work with the big kids foundation and they're based in south london. they're doing a lot of stuff across london as well. so i try to go and spend time with the kids and interact with them. efe's a fantastic story. you know, he's been through so much to get to where he is and trained so hard to play at the level he's now playing at. and he's really, you know, someone for the young people to look up to. he came from london, and they're from london, too. if he can do it, it allows those young people to believe that they can as well. what's it been like getting to meet efe? oh, he's been quite loud, hasn't he?! _ has it changed much from when you first got here and you were growing up there? in terms of american football, yeah, definitely. like, the sport's grown immensely. like, it's honestlyjust taken over and it's becoming a part of the english culture. does it help remind you of how far you've come yourself? it does. just being able to play

in the league for this long and then also seeing the new generation of kids, notjust going off to just traditional football and they're talking about american football, you know, flag football, and just wanting to go over to america and study and just being able to do that, it's huge. like, those conversations would never happen in my community. i feel like it's given me a lot of confidence. it's given me a lot of life skills. american football, especially flag, it's very family orientated. i can't wait for, like, the next five, ten years cos i know for a fact you'll see a lot more young people involved, a lot more young girls as well. would you like to create something permanent in south london, something that might open pathways up for people? 100%. 100%. i think, i like moving forward. one of my dreams is to have my own facility, my own training facility, where people can come and watch, kids can come and just have that place, that safe haven. when i was growing up, i used to go to, like, youth centres, you know,

and i used to... that's where i used to do my homework. that's where i made friends. that's where i used to just play games because, you know, it was just this safe place and the sense of community if you just didn't want to be hanging out on the road. so if i can create something like that space, if i can help streamline and create more opportunities for american football and try and get in the grassroots levels and streamline that process. because honestly, the way i got into the nfl was a miracle. the more people see his story, the more people understand where he came from, the more hope that it gives people, the more inspiration it gives people to think that to themselves that, hey, i'mjust like efe. i can do exactly what he did. i didn't have to be playing this game since i was a young kid to be able to make it to the highest level. so it's a massive inspiration for a lot of people. are your experiences part of the reason why you're so heavily invested in the nfl programmes outside the actual game itself? definitely. because, like, my nfl career isjust mine, for me. and, you know, and i've been afforded this platform.

my journey is my journey. and there's a certain demographic of kids and communities and people that i can reach. you know, i don't see odell beckham, all these stars, reaching these south london kids just because there's just, you know, they might admire them and, you know, appreciate the accolades. but this is because of where they're from. you know, the connection, the accent, the, you know, the understanding of south london and even the uk in general. i'm able to connect and also just the african background as well. you know, the immigrant lifestyle, the immigrant parents, the, you know, the journeys that i'm able to connect with these kids. and i would be doing an injustice if i don't make the most of the platforms that i have and try and reach back, because i would have wished for someone to do that for me and show that it's possible. you do have nigerian roots. how do you stay in touch with them? music, food. you know, like, when i when i feel homesick, just because of the different cultures that i experienced going to america and having to, like, kind of assimilate.

and in that culture, when i feel homesick, that's my go—to, african food, music, the film, the language, you know, the banter, the, kind of, the interactions, you know, all of it. like, it's who i am, it's deep—rooted in my dna, like, i'm an african man, you know? if you were only allowed one african dish, what would be your go—to meal? 0h... because one, that's the way! that's crazy. i'll be fat! so my go—to african is pounded yam. classic. you can't go wrong with jollof rice. it's very meat—heavy, you know! so, like, anything... all the meat! you're right, you can't go wrong with jollof rice. you do a lot of work with nfl africa. what does that involve? honestly, it's just anything to promote the culture, anything to promote and create opportunities back in africa, going back to africa with the camps, the programme, letting people know that there's a space here, you know, for africans.

does it have a big following in africa? yeah, there's flag football. there's you know, there's lots of talent. i'm telling you, there's so much talent. you know, i need the nfl to kind of go over there and understand that, you know, africa is an untapped market in terms of talent for the nfl and sports in general. the final chapters of obada's story have yet to be written, but few would bet against a hollywood ending. since birth, obada has been fighting against forces beyond his control. this has truly been a journey against the odds. anything you'd like to achieve before you hang up your cleats? there's quite a lot of things. i want to obviously, love to win the super bowl. you know, i think that's the ultimate goal. as you know in your career, there's hall of fame. never achieved the super bowl. so i would love to do that. pro bowl. i'd love to do that as well, and experience that. i feel like those games i'll be really good at!

hello, there. we have some disruptive weather on the way. certainly, the next 2a to 48 hours look very snowy indeed across a central swathe of the uk. the met office have issued an amber warning for heavy snow across northern england, particularly over the pennines, where we're likely to see up to a0 centimetres of snow by the time we move through thursday, thursday night and into friday morning. reason for it, this deep area of low pressure, with all its rains pushing

into the cold air. so although we'll have rain south of the m4 corridor, some of this rain could be quite heavy across southern england, south wales, it will be turning readily to snow across the northern half of wales through thursday, into the midlands, certainly the north midlands, and across northern england where we'll see significant accumulations starting to pile up over the pennines and also for north wales. a milder day to come, i think, across southern areas, ten to 13 degrees here. this is where we'll have the heavy rain. a chilly but sunny day across scotland, with a few snow showers around. now, as we head through thursday evening, thursday night, the snowfall continues across north wales, northern england, certainly over the pennines and developing into northern ireland, southern scotland, as well. again, to the north of here, it's likely to stay very cold with clear skies. but we have a widespread yellow snow warning for northern ireland, much of southern scotland, northern england, the midlands into north wales, two to ten centimetres at lower levels, up to 15 centimetres on the hills. but it's this amber warning we're most concerned about over the pennines — 25 to a0

centimetres likely by the time we reach friday morning. so the snowfall continues in those similar areas through the early hours of friday, starting to pull away, though, from northern ireland and southern scotland. here, it's going to be another very cold night. snow showers for northern scotland. that wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow will be affecting large parts of england and wales, as we start friday morning. that area of low pressure starts to pull away in towards the near continent, taking the snow with it. but also, we'll see a spell of strong northerly winds for a while on its back edge as it pulls away. so a cold, windy, snowy morning across central and eastern parts of england, in particular for friday, could see some drifting of snow as well. but it clears out quite quickly and then we'll see plenty of sunshine moving in its place for friday afternoon, but it's going to be a cold day wherever you are. take care.

welcome to bbc news. police in former soviet republic georgia crack down on protesters as thousands demonstrate against controversial new laws. this is the scene live in the capital tbilisi. this place outside georgia's parliament in at the capital tbilisi has been the scene of so many anti—government and anti—russia protests over the years, but this time the government may have gone too far. an investigation into the killing of the black woman breonna taylor concludes that a us police force indulged in routine discrimination, illegal searches, and the use of excessive force. the uk prime minister defends his asylum reform plans, including banning anyone arriving in a small boat from claiming asylum or seeking citizenship.