In early April, with just five games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that star guard Luka Doncic would be sidelined at least until the NBA playoffs.
Doncic’s setback was a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, an MRI confirmed. The reigning NBA scoring champion sustained the injury during an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers also entered the playoffs without another key member of their backcourt, Austin Reaves.
The shorthanded Lakers upset the Houston Rockets in the opening game of their first-round Western Conference series Saturday. Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday, the Lakers reportedly received a clearer update on the health of at least one of their injured stars.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026.(Ryan Sun/AP)
Reaves, who was diagnosed with an oblique strain, appears to be progressing toward a return later in the first-round series if it extends to six or seven games. If the Lakers advance sooner, he could be on track to return for the Western Conference semifinals.
According to ESPN, Reaves recently returned to the practice court for 1-on-1 drills. The 27-year-old will still need to progress to 2-on-3 and then 5-on-5 work before he can be cleared for playoff action, but he appears significantly further along than Doncic, who remains out indefinitely.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on March 21, 2026.(Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Doncic is unlikely to play in the first round, regardless of the series length. ESPN footage showed him on the practice court on Tuesday, though the six-time All-Star was not doing high-intensity work.
The Rockets, despite being widely favored in the opening round playoffs series, also contended with key injuries. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 with a knee contusion. He was cleared to play in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. shoots the ball against the Lakers during Game 1 in the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on April 18, 2026.(Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
A Clemson Tigers helmet rests on the sideline bench at BB&T Field, on Oct 6, 2018 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, sitting unattended during game action against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons as players remained on the field in the middle of a competitive ACC matchup. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings have nine picks between now and Saturday evening, but everyone cares about the first one at the moment. Accordingly, we’re here to publish our 1st-Round prognostication for the Vikings, and in 2026, that’s defensive tackle Peter Woods, whether via trade or remaining at the No. 18 spot.
Woods gives Minnesota juice inside.
Interim general manager Rob Brzeznski could reasonably pick about 10 different players, and no one would be too befuddled, but for the official forecast, we say Woods.
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Woods Fits the Vikings’ Long-Term Defensive Plan
The Clemson DT could marry “best player available” and roster need.
Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) stands on the field during pregame warmups as he prepares for a high-profile matchup, showcasing his size and presence along the defensive front on Aug. 31, 2024, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta before Clemson faced Georgia in a nationally watched season opener. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images.
The Main Case for Woods
Brian Flores presumably has more control over the defensive personnel now that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is no longer employed, and when he ran the Miami Dolphins, his very first draft pick seven years ago was Christian Wilkins, a defensive tackle.
Meanwhile, Minnesota tossed Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to the curb in March, signing no replacements from free agency. If the Vikings’ season started tonight, they’d play Jalen Redmond, Levi Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in the middle of the defensive line. It is unclear if that’s enough oomph and experience.
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Too, Minnesota has drafted offensive players in Round 1 in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. It’s time for a defensive player.
Woods is gettable at pick No. 18 and possibly after a slight trade back. He’s also the top defensive tackle in the draft, per most pundits. So, we say Woods to Minnesota on Thursday night.
Dropping Allen and Hargrave Isn’t Nothing
During Adofo-Mensah’s final free agency, he added two starting defensive tackles: Allen and Hargrave. The excitement was palpable because, although not overly young, the two had plenty of experience and Hargrave had a Pro Bowl to his name. Then, the regular season played out, with each man playing decently but nowhere near the value of their contracts.
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So, the Vikings kicked them out. Allen landed in Cincinnati and will play next to Sexy Dexter Lawrence. Hargrave picked the Green Bay Packers.
Combined, the pair played over 1,300 defensive snaps. It would just seem strange to hand those snaps to Rodriguez and Ingram-Dawkins. The Vikings would be gambling on “maybes.”
Therefore, the evidence points to a DT addition early in the draft. Remember: in 2023, Minnesota needed a wide receiver. It drafted Jordan Addison. In 2024, it needed a quarterback. J.J. McCarthy was the first pick. How about 2025? A guard was the most pressing need. Donovan Jackson joined the Vikings. If you don’t overcomplicate it, Woods to Minnesota make sense.
Time to End the Drought
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The Vikings haven’t drafted an interior defensive lineman in the first three rounds of the draft since 2013. If you remember Sharfif Floyd, he was the last guy. Minnesota got away with this, mainly because Linval Joseph cooked for six seasons.
Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods (11) celebrates after bringing down Duke quarterback Darian Mensah (10), flashing his interior pass-rush ability and energy following a key defensive play on Nov. 1, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Clemson during an ACC matchup that highlighted his disruptive presence. Mandatory Credit: Alex Martin-Imagn Images.
Generally speaking, the Vikings and all other teams should take a swing at a promising DT at least once every five or eight years or so. In that regard, the purple team is overdue.
Draft Woods. End the drought. Complement the Vikings’ fantastic outside linebackers from the inside out.
Get to Know Woods
At 6’2″ and 300 pounds, Woods possesses surprising agility for his size. His exceptional 4.75-second forty-yard dash, especially notable for a defensive tackle, demonstrates a quick first step and impressive leverage when engaging opponents. His signature swipe move is particularly effective on film, allowing him to penetrate the backfield rapidly. Over his last two seasons at Clemson, he amassed 5 sacks and consistently disrupted plays.
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The Ringer‘s Todd McShay on Woods: “He locates the ball quickly, violently sheds blocks as a run defender, and uses his quick hands and feet to make plays in the backfield. He’s on the lighter side (298 pounds) with shorter arms (31 1/4 inches), and the latter shows up on tape. He can win with his hands and still get stuck on the block as a pass rusher.”
“He doesn’t get enough separation to locate the ball at times as a run defender. He gets washed down the line of scrimmage and needs to do a better job of getting vertical when defending zone runs. And he’s an inconsistent tackler. He has upside as a pass rusher, but he did not take the next step as one in 2025.”
For context, defensive tackles often take a few years to hit their groove — longer than players at other positions — so Woods may not be a total stud as a rookie. Give him time.
Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) walks through the stadium before kickoff, focused and composed as he prepares for a rivalry matchup on Nov. 29, 2025, at Williams-Brice Stadium, with his size and build standing out among players during pregame arrivals ahead of Clemson’s regular-season finale. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images.
McShay continued, “His hands are powerful, and he has an effective push-pull move. He can advance his rush while remaining engaged when he stays low. Woods compares well with New England defensive tackle Milton Williams, who lacks ideal length and mass but wins with his hands and athletic ability.”
“He should compete for a starting role as a rookie. Woods compares well with New England defensive tackle Milton Williams, who lacks ideal length and mass but wins with his hands and athletic ability. He should compete for a starting role as a rookie.”
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McShay also mock-drafted Woods to Minnesota on Wednesday in his final set of predictions.
Woods turned 21 last month.
If the Woods prediction is wrong, the Vikings will likely draft Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo), or Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) instead.
LPGA star Charley Hull resumes the quest for her first major title this week at the 2026 Chevron Championship. While Hull will be too busy playing to catch much action on TV, this week presents the type of golf she still enjoys watching.
However, the genre of golf male pros play most weeks on the PGA Tour is not the popular English pro’s cup of tea.
Hull revealed that she doesn’t “really watch golf” when she’s not competing and laid one specific reason she finds the modern pro game “boring” in her Chevron Championship press conference.
Charley Hull on modern golf: ‘It’s quite boring watching a birdiefest’
Hull, 30, has three LPGA wins in her career and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. She turned pro way back in 2013, and in that time she’s seen pro golf change drastically.
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Those changes hit the men’s game hardest, where increases in distance has turned every regular PGA Tour event into a “birdiefest,” as Hull described them on Tuesday.
The majors, on the other hand, have undergone less change. In both the men’s and women’s game, major courses typically feature treacherous setups meant to provide fierce challenges to the best players in the game.
Hull is expecting this week’s Chevron Championship to follow that tradition, requiring players to hit long irons into many greens. That’s exactly how Hull thinks it should be at a major, and why she doesn’t usually watch non-major golf on TV.
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To put it more simply, she prefers watching pros “when they’re struggling.”
“I much prefer that. I think that’s the way golf should be. It’s way more interesting,” Hull said on Tuesday at the Chevron. “I don’t really watch golf, but when I watch the men’s golf I watch the majors and I enjoy it a lot more when they’re struggling on the golf course. I think it’s a lot more fun.”
She then put a finer point on her issue with the golf played at most pro golf tournaments, which, in her view of the PGA Tour, has turned into a driver-wedge game.
“It’s quite boring watching a birdiefest. All you see is hitting a long drive, hitting a wedge on the green and holing a putt,” Hull said.
Hull continued by saying she preferred the pro golf played decades ago, when it was more of an “art.”
“It’s nice to see golf be played as an art, like when they have to create shots,” she explained. “I much prefer that. That’s why I preferred golf 20, 30 years ago.”
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Hull later revealed that “pretty much the only tournament I watch is the Masters or the men’s British Open. I find them pretty exciting to watch.”
Though Hull has never won a major, she’s come remarkably close several times. She finished T2 at the 2016 Chevron Championship, to go along with a T7 in 2014 and T6 in 2018. She also earned a T2 at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and has twice finished runner-up at the AIG Women’s Open in 2023 and in 2025.
Delhi Capitals conceded their highest total of IPL 2026, 242 runs, powered by a sensational unbeaten 135 from Abhishek Sharma, who batted through the entire 20 overs. Following the defeat, former Australian captain Aaron Finch has criticised Axar Patel for bowling just two overs while allowing part-time Nitish Rana to complete his full quota during Delhi Capitals’ (DC) clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their strong run with a commanding 47-run win, driven by Abhishek’s 68-ball masterclass, which included 10 fours and 10 sixes. He was well supported by Travis Head (37) and Heinrich Klaasen (37* off 13), helping SRH post a daunting 242/2.
In reply, Delhi Capitals showed early promise through a partnership between KL Rahul (37) and Nitish Rana (57), but lost momentum after their dismissals. Eshan Malinga starred with the ball, picking up 4/32, as DC were restricted to 195/9.
Finch was openly critical of the decision, saying, “We’ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven’t we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper, and Kuldeep Yadav, bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has wheeled out four overs. To me, that makes no sense,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
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He further questioned Axar’s reluctance to bowl to left-handers, even after dismissing Travis Head, suggesting it reflects an issue with mindset.
“It’s the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player, your best bowler, an Indian bowler, he’s one of your core bowlers in the Indian cricket team. That’s no small bit. He’s a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn’t trust himself to execute under pressure and to defend himself against any left handers, as soon as a left hander walks to the crease, not for me today, thanks. To me, that says more about his attitude towards it than anything else,” he added.
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Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin also highlighted the overuse of part-time bowler Nitish Rana, while frontline spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bowled just two overs each.
“In DC’s bowling attack, they have Axar Patel, Kuldeep, Lungi, Mukesh, and Natarajan. But the first player to complete his 4-over quota was Nitish Rana, and that’s where they lost the match. It has to be the biggest blunder so far,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton and his girlfriend took to a beach in Malibu, California, with images and videos from the same surfacing on the internet. The couple’s cozy moments, which were captured in the videos and images, broke the internet.
With the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled due to the conditions in the Middle East, the F1 drivers have the months of April to themselves. While Max Verstappen decided to race in the NLS, Hamilton has been spending time with his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.
On April 21, 2026, images and videos of Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian on a beach in Malibu surfaced. The seven-time F1 champion gave the supermodel a surf lesson before the couple spent time on the beach and in the shallows.
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The images included the couple standing on the shore, with Hamilton’s arm around the supermodel’s waist. A video of Hamilton giving his girlfriend a surf lesson also surfaced.
Another couple of images showed the couple sharing some pleasant moments together. The first one was of Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian hugging in the shallows, with the other one being an image of the Briton kissing his supermodel girlfriend.
As the images and clips surfaced, they spread like fire on the internet with multiple accounts sharing, reposting, and uploading them on various social media platforms, including X and Instagram. The images were reshared thousands of times with millions of views.
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Image credits: X/ @TMZ and @TheSun
Kim Kardashian was spotted with Lewis Hamilton in Tokyo ahead of the Japanese GP. The supermodel also featured in his Instagram reel of him drifting through Tokyo. After the Japanese GP, the couple was spotted together at Coachella attending Justin Bieber’s performance.
Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian’s dating timeline: From Paris Hotel reports to Instagram hard launch
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton have known each other for over a decade and were first seen together at the GQ Men of the Year awards. Over the years, the Briton became a good friend and was even invited by the Kardashians to family events.
Earlier this year, after the Barcelona shakedown, Hamilton and Kim Kardashian were spotted getting out of the same car at a hotel in Paris, which gave birth to the dating rumors. This was followed by their appearance at Super Bowl LX, where they sat together in the VIP box.
Just before the 2026 F1 season began, Kim Kardashian and Hamilton were spotted in Arizona, enjoying a sunset. The seven-time F1 champion was recently seen in Tokyo with his girlfriend, and eventually hard-launched his relationship via an Instagram reel uploaded by him, captioned “TOKYO DRIFT VOL. III”.
VJ Edgecombe delivered a standout performance as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics in Game 2 to level the series at 1-1.
Edgecombe finished with over 30 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach those numbers in a playoff game. At 20 or younger, he is only the second player to do it, joining Magic Johnson. He is also the first rookie to hit those marks in the playoffs since Tim Duncan in 1998.
Alongside him, Tyrese Maxey added 29 points and nine assists, while Paul George contributed 19 points in the win.
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The result sees Philadelphia respond after losing Game 1, taking a road win to bring the series level heading into the next game.
Manchester United are in the market for midfield additions this summer as they seek a replacement for outgoing veteran Casemiro and Bournemouth star Alex Scott is a man in demand
Manchester United are making transfer checks on Bournemouth’s Alex Scott over a potential summer move.
England midfielder Scott, 22, is catching admiring glances from a host of top clubs with United and Chelsea looking at him.
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Scott got an England call-up in November but was dropped from the last squad in March but since then produced a man of the match display against United and scored the winner at Arsenal.
That has shown his determination and quality and that is why top clubs now see him as a big prospect for the future.
Clearly, Bournemouth will not want to lose one of their main assets but several scouts have watched him and Chelsea and United are keeping tabs.
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United definitely want to strengthen their midfield this summer and Scott’s character and ability to run with the ball and get forward has really impressed.
United are likely to look at two top midfield signings as they target that department having spent big in the forward line last year.
They bought Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha and now they are going through a clear plan to improve.
United have run the rule over Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton but they already have Kobbie Mainoo who is expected to sign a new deal.
Veteran midfielder Casemiro is expected to go so United still need two midfielders to ensure they build on this season.
While Scott is likely to be on a list of targets, the Bournemouth midfielder is catching the eye.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Former Premier League champion Leicester will be playing in the third tier of English soccer next season.
Leicester, which sealed the unlikeliest title win of the Premier League era in 2016 at odds of 5,000-1, needed a victory Tuesday to maintain hope of avoiding relegation but drew 2-2 with Hull.
The midlands club, which also won the FA Cup in 2021 and played in England’s top flight last season, is second to last in the second-tier Championship.
In a statement to fans, Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said responsibility sat with him.
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“There are no excuses,” he said. “We have experienced the highest highs and now the lowest lows, and the pain is shared by all of us. I am truly sorry for the disappointment we have caused.”
Relegation comes after Leicester was docked six points in February for breaching the English Football League’s financial rules when it earned promotion in the 2023-24 season. Earlier this month, it lost its bid to overturn that punishment, leaving it mired in the relegation zone.
It is a dramatic fall after Leicester’s fairytale-like title triumph 10 years ago.
It had spent the 2014-15 season battling relegation from the top flight and only an unlikely winning run in the final weeks of that campaign.
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What followed was a remarkable title charge that saw it finish 10 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the standings.
In 142 years of existence, Leicester has played just one season in the third tier of English soccer. It won the League One title in 2008-09 and was promoted back to the Championship.
Slipping down English soccer’s pyramid is costly mainly because of the decreasing broadcast revenue.
In the 2023-24 season, League One clubs’ average total revenue was $12.2 million, which was about one-quarter of Championship clubs’ average revenue, according to Deloitte. The average revenue for Premier League clubs that season was $422 million.
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“Our focus now is on what comes next. We will take the necessary decisions to move the club forward, working together to rebuild, improve, and restore the standards expected of Leicester City,” Srivaddhanaprabha said. “Our objective is clear – to respond strongly and compete to move this club forward again.
There’s a growing sense that Tarleton State could be the next FCS team to make the jump to FBS College Football.
Could the Mountain West give them a look?
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I discuss Virginia Tech after their Spring Game became known for a parachuting incident.
Will that become a metaphor for James Franklin’s first season?
Indiana DC Bryant Haines, like his head coach Curt Cignetti, is not afraid to take shots and speak his mind.
Why did he go after Alabama fans on Twitter following Ty Simpson’s comments?
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00:00 Tarleton State’s FBS aspirations 04:25 Considering Texas for expansion 07:57 Discussing potential league membership 14:17 James Franklin’s coaching potential 19:06 Virginia Tech’s football challenges 23:04 Winning a national championship 24:20 Indiana’s transfer portal strategy 27:50 Embracing confidence with success
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has secured the media rights for the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, bringing the continental multi-sport event back to the Sony Sports Network for the fourth consecutive edition.
The Games will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, with live coverage available on Sony Sports Network channels and streaming platform Sony LIV.
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The agreement covers India and the wider Indian subcontinent, ensuring viewers across the region can follow one of Asia’s biggest sporting events. According to some media reports, the broadcasting rights deal for the tournament is valued at an estimated $3.5–4 million.
Sony brings Asian Games back to its network
The 2026 edition marks another major multi-sport acquisition for SPNI, which said it aims to deliver extensive coverage of the Games through live broadcasts, expert analysis, and multi-language programming.
Notably, Sony’s 2026 broadcast of the Asian Games will mark its fourth consecutive edition, as it has retained the rights to the tournament since acquiring them for the first time in 2024.
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Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer and Business Head – Sports and International at Sony Pictures Networks India, said the Asian Games remains an important platform for sporting excellence and national pride.
He added that India’s record medal haul in the previous edition had significantly increased interest in multi-sport events, and the network looked forward to bringing another strong Indian campaign to audiences.
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Major sports on the programme
The Asian Games remains one of the largest multi-sport events in the world, and the 2026 edition will feature 41 sports, including 32 Olympic disciplines.
Alongside athletics, swimming, badminton, hockey and wrestling, the programme will also include sports popular in Asia such as cricket, kabaddi, e-sports, sepak takraw and kurash. New additions such as mixed martial arts (MMA) and surfing are also set to feature.
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For Indian fans, cricket is expected to be one of the biggest attractions, with both the men’s and women’s teams likely to compete for medals.
Asian Games 2026 full schedule
The 20th Asian Games will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Dates: September 19 to October 4, 2026
Opening Ceremony: September 19, 2026
Closing Ceremony: October 4, 2026
Duration: 16 days
Sports: 41 disciplines
Coverage in India: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV
OCA welcomes new broadcast deal
Husain Al-Musallam, Director-General of the Olympic Council of Asia, welcomed the agreement and said it marked a new phase in distributing the Asian Games across the Indian subcontinent.
India eyes new records in Nagoya
India heads into the 2026 Games after its best-ever Asian Games performance at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where it won 107 medals — 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze — to finish fourth in the standings.
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With a stronger pool of athletes, growing medal prospects across multiple sports, and cricket returning to the programme, India will aim to surpass that tally and produce another record-breaking campaign in Nagoya.
Podcaster and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho recently shared his thoughts on Mike Vrabel’s statements addressing the photos of himself and former New York Times journalist Dianna Russini. Russini was an NFL journalist for The Athletic, owned by The New York Times Company, and recently tendered her resignation after photos of herself and Vrabel, the New England Patriots coach, holding hands and embracing each other were exclusively released by Page Six on April 7.
Both Russini and Vrabel are married to other people, and were reportedly spotted together at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Arizona, sometime in March 2026. Both Russini and Vrabel denied rumors of a romance, with the journalist claiming that she had been at the resort for a hiking trip with her girlfriends. Meanwhile, Vrabel alleges that he and his friends drove up to Sedona for a day trip and ran into Russini and her friends before returning to their hotels.
On April 21, 2026, Mike Vrabel addressed the scandal in a press conference, saying that he “had some difficult conversations with people that I care about – my family, the organization, the coaches, the players” after the photos went public.
During a subsequent episode of the Speakeasy podcast, Emmanuel Acho reacted to Mike Vrabel’s statement and alleged that the coach threw Russini “under the bus” with his comments. He further added that Vrabel saying he “had some difficult conversations with people that I care about” implied that their stories about coincidentally running into each other were not true, saying:
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“Vrabel handled it as well as he could handle it, but in handling it as well as he could handle it, of course, he threw Dianna Russini under the bus… First and foremost, address with the team, and then address with your family, then address the media, he did all that well… the moment he said, ‘I’ve had some difficult conversations with the people I care about,’ that implies that Dianna Russini wasn’t just on a girls’ trip.”
He continued:
“That’s the implication. Cause if Dianna Russini was just on a girls’ trip, and Mike Vrabel, you were just at the hotel and happened to run into each other coincidentally, what’s the difficult conversation?… The only reason you have to have a difficult conversation is if what Dianna Russini has said, reported, and suggested didn’t actually occur.”
Acho also added that while Mike Vrabel said “as little as possible” during the press conference, that one sentence “tells you everything you need to know.”
Exploring Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini’s statements about the photo scandal
On April 7, Page Six posted photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini at a resort in Sedona, where they were seen holding hands and embracing each other. A source reportedly told the publication that the pair had breakfast together at 10:30 am on March 28 and spent some time in the pool. They were later spotted on the rooftop of a bungalow that evening, allegedly dancing for a while.
Both Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini denied any romantic implications behind the photos in separate statements to Page Six. Russini claimed that the pictures did not “represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.” Meanwhile, Vrabel claimed that the pictures captured a “completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
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On April 14, 2026, Dianna Russini revealed that she had resigned from her post at The Athletic, claiming that the media engaged “in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.” She further added that she had “no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept,” adding:
“It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Meanwhile, Mike Vrabel addressed the scandal in a press conference on April 21, saying:
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. There are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the NFL recently revealed that the league is not looking into Mike Vrabel’s conduct as part of its personal conduct policy, and the New England Patriots head coach will not face an internal conduct review for the scandal.
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Indiana DC Bryant Haines, like his head coach Curt Cignetti, is not afraid to take shots and speak his mind. 
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