Sports
Two days later, Mike Vrabel back with Patriots
Mar 31, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mike Vrabel was back with the New England Patriots on Monday, two days after he voluntarily left the team to seek counseling amid a controversy over his visit to an Arizona resort with then-Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.
Vrabel was photographed in Utah at a Salt Lake City airport boutique on Saturday, when Rounds 4-7 of the NFL draft transpired.
ESPN reported Vrabel was in “constant contact via email and text message” with the Patriots during his brief absence and returned Monday to resume “full responsibilities as head coach.” The Patriots claimed not to be in contact with Vrabel while he was away from the team and stated that the only messages exchanged were sent from team employees to Vrabel, according to vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
“We kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away, so we were not in contact with Mike (Saturday) other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early (in the) morning,” Wolf said.
The 50-year-old coach said he felt family counseling was necessary to move forward after the alleged tryst with Russini became public.
“This is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person,” he said.
Vrabel and Russini both have spouses. The New York Post published photos of the two of them in Sedona, Ariz., ahead of league meetings in Phoenix last month. Russini resigned from The Athletic, where she was lead NFL insider, amid an investigation by the New York Times-run organization into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.
Vrabel spoke openly to the media last Tuesday about the fallout.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during the draft that the league is not considering punishment or further investigation into the matter under the “off-field conduct” policy.
Vrabel became the head coach of the Patriots — the team for which he played — ahead of the 2025 season and guided New England to Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13.
Vrabel earned his second AP NFL Coach of the Year honor last season after winning the award in 2021 when he led the Titans. He was Tennessee’s head coach from 2018-23.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WWE reaches deal with The CW to broadcast NXT premium live events
Jan 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque aka Triple H speaks during a press conference after the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images The WWE announced on Tuesday that it has reached a deal with The CW to broadcast all NXT premium live events exclusively on network going forward.
That deal is set to begin with The Great American Bash this summer and will include the next 20 PLEs over the next several years, airing them simultaneously live across the country.
This will bring the entirety of the television programming for NXT, which “showcases WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars,” to The CW. The network already broadcasts the weekly NXT show on Tuesdays.
“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” Brad Schwartz, president of The CW, said in a statement. “Adding WWE NXT Premium Live Events to our schedule is a natural fit, providing one broadcast destination for audiences to watch all their favorite Superstars, storylines and championship matches.”
NXT, which began airing weekly in 2012, is less than two years into a five-year deal it signed with CW in October 2024 to broadcast its weekly programming.
“The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” Shawn Michaels, WWE senior vice president of talent development creative, said in a statement.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucs exercise 5th-year option on DT Calijah Kancey
NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive Calijah Kancey The Buccaneers exercised the fifth-year option for defensive tackle Calijah Kancey on Monday, ensuring he remains in Tampa through the 2027 season.
The option reportedly gives Kancey $14.475 million in guaranteed money for the 2027 campaign.
Kancey went on injured reserve on Sept. 17 with a torn pectoral muscle that required what was reported at the time to be season-ending surgery, though he returned for the final game of the season.
The 25-year-old has been hampered by injuries since entering the league in 2023. He missed three of the first four games of his rookie season with a calf injury and was sidelined again by a calf injury to start the 2024 season, though he returned to finish that season with 7.5 sacks in the final 12 games.
The 2023 first-round draft pick (19th overall) has recorded 11.5 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 55 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble in 29 career games (28 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Cowboys signing WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) catches a pass during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network reported Monday.
Further terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Valdes-Scantling had 14 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown last season in 10 regular-season games with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He will be competing for playing time with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo and Anthony Smith.
Valdes-Scantling, 31, has 219 receptions for 3,686 yards in 116 career games (69 starts) for the Green Bay Packers (2018-21), Kansas City Chiefs (2022-23), Buffalo Bills (2024), New Orleans Saints (2024), 49ers (2025) and Steelers (2025).
The Packers selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
–Field Level Media
Outfit Upgrade: Add a Pop of Red
The R-Rated, Extremely Graphic Thriller That's A Sadistic Game Of Cat And Mouse
