Washington (CNN) President Barack Obama, speaking in private this week, extolled what he said was the drama-free nature of his White House and said it was a "low bar" now to avoid embarrassing presidential scandals.

It was a veiled but distinct jab at the current occupants of the West Wing, who have weathered a tumultuous year since Obama departed.

"We didn't have a scandal that embarrassed us," Obama said during closed-door remarks in Boston on Friday. Audio of the private speech -- delivered to hundreds of people attending a sports policy conference -- was obtained by the magazine Reason and published Monday. "I know that seems like a low bar."

"Generally speaking, you didn't hear about a lot of drama inside our White House," he added.

The oblique reference to President Donald Trump was one part of a lengthy speech Obama delivered at MIT's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last week. Attendees were told the remarks were strictly off-the-record and that recording or reporting on them wasn't allowed.

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