Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. has found himself at the center of an international investigation after authorities in the Dominican Republic identified him as a person of interest in the death of a woman who has been missing since 2021.

The investigation involves 22-year-old Carli Roche, who disappeared in September 2021 after moving to Sosúa, a coastal town in the Dominican Republic. Earlier this year, authorities discovered human remains on property Pennel reportedly owned at the time of her disappearance. Dominican officials have classified the case as a homicide and are examining possible connections between the property and the victim’s death.

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According to multiple reports, investigators have labeled Pennel a person of interest, meaning they believe he may have information relevant to the case. However, being named a person of interest does not mean someone has been charged with a crime. As of June 2026, Pennel has not been arrested or formally charged in connection with the investigation.

Pennel has strongly denied any involvement in the matter.

In statements to the media, Pennel said he did not know Roche and was not in the Dominican Republic when she disappeared in 2021. He described reports linking him to the case as false and argued his reputation has been unfairly damaged by the coverage. His attorney also stated that he is cooperating with the investigation and is willing to assist authorities as needed.

The case has generated significant attention given Pennel’s background. He recently played for the Chiefs during the 2025 season and entered the offseason as a free agent. The veteran defensive tackle has spent 11 years in the league and has been part of multiple Super Bowl-winning teams with the Chiefs.

For now, the case remains unsolved. While Pennel’s name has become part of the investigation, officials have not filed criminal charges, and he continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Rashee Rice was recently released from jail after a 30-day sentence for violating probation and is now facing one of the most important years of his young NFL career. Having Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target back will help the Kansas City Chiefs remain one of the AFC’s elite teams. The Chiefs missed the playoffs last season.​

But Rice is a huge part of the offense. He was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and quickly developed into a major contributor and the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. His combination of size, speed and physicality made him one of the most reliable offensive weapons for the Chiefs.

Rice’s breakout happened during the second half of his rookie season. In the year the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, they searched for consistency late in the year, and Rice stepped up in a big way. His chemistry with Mahomes became increasingly evident as the season progressed, helping the Chiefs make another deep playoff run.

They had a great playoff run, beating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game and then the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in the Super Bowl that year.

Rice and the Chiefs have remained confident in his development and believed in his potential from the start. However, his momentum was interrupted by legal issues and injury concerns that generated significant attention throughout the NFL.

Rice’s family also faced legal trouble after his mother was caught on camera stealing from a hotel. Regardless, the Chiefs’ success depends on Rice’s ability to play a major role as they pursue another Super Bowl championship. With Mahomes still in his prime and the Chiefs contending for titles, opportunities remain plentiful for the young receiver.

For Kansas City, Rice represents both present and future production. If Mahomes is healthy, the Chiefs will be in contention every year. As the season approaches, Rice has an opportunity to show fans why he is considered one of the NFL’s biggest rising stars. If he can stay healthy and avoid distractions, it’s only up from here. The Chiefs could be poised for another strong season in his career.

Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver Rashee Rice received a suspension for the first six games of the season due to his involvement in a multi-car crash in Dallas last year. Rice will not be appealing the decision.

Rice is prohibited from practicing with the Chiefs and suspended without pay, effective immediately, becoming eligible for reinstatement in October. The suspension stems from Rice’s violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy because of his involvement in a multi-car crash on March 30, 2024.

The NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy gives Commissioner Roger Goodell authority to discipline players, coaches, and other staff for off-field behavior that does not align with the high standard of socially responsible and lawful behavior, regardless of legal outcomes.

On July 17, Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges, collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He received five years of probation, a 30-day jail sentence and paid roughly $115,000 to each victim in restitution.

The NFL reportedly pursued an extended suspension period of at least 10 games, but due to the NFL Players Association’s inability to come to an agreement, a disciplinary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 30. Disciplinary officer and former U.S. district judge, Sue L. Robinson, was appointed to Rice’s case.

The current six-game suspension keeps Rice sidelined until the week seven game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 19.

His absence will greatly impact the Chiefs’ depth chart ahead of the 2025 season, especially with wide receiver Jalen Royals unable to play due to a knee tendon injury. With the main roster finalized on Tuesday, originally including Rice, the Chiefs will rely heavily on wide receiver Xavier Worthy and veteran wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

A resolution is expected before the end of the six-week suspension.

With the game already decided, attention quickly shifted off the field. After Travis Kelce‘s minimal impact in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 40-22 Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the biggest question became whether he’d decide to retire.

Before the question could be asked, Kelce ended his brief media session.

“Have a good one guys,” he said to the media after answering several questions.

“Couldn’t get it going offensively,” Kelce reflected following his second Super Bowl defeat. “I mean, they just got after us on all three phases and then on top of that, turnovers, penalties, playing behind the sticks on offense … dropped passes, not taking advantage of the play call and executing them, there’s a lot that goes into it. You don’t lose like that without everything going bad.”

Over the past few seasons, Kelce has been candid about the prospect of retiring, though he consistently reminds everyone of his passion for football.

In April, he signed a two-year extension that will keep him with the team through the 2027 season.

“Where will I be in three years? I don’t know. Hopefully, still playing football,” Kelce remarked during his Super Bowl 2025 media day appearance. “I love doing this. I love coming into work every day. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens.

“I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts so long. You’ve got to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseasons. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”

The 2024 season marked Kelce’s toughest since becoming a star, recording career lows of 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

If he decides to retire now, he’ll walk away with a crushing defeat, where he seemed to show his age and struggled to make an impact.

Kelce finished with only four catches for 39 yards, all of them coming in garbage time with the Eagles in control. He expressed his shock at the outcome, admitting “we haven’t played that bad all year.”

Patrick Mahomes will let Kelce take the time he needs to decide.

“I’ll let Travis make that decision on his own,” he said. “He’s given so much to this team, to the NFL and such a joy not only for me to work with, but for people to watch. He knows he has a lot of football left in him. You can see he always makes the plays at the biggest moments, but it’s if he wants to put in that grind. . . . I know he still has love for the game. He’ll get some time with his family and make that decision on his own, but he knows he’ll come back here with welcome arms.”

It is no secret – the New York Jets are looking to move on from embattled quarterback Zach Wilson.

Wilson, selected second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, came into last season as the backup to Aaron Rodgers. When Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles that ended his season just minutes into it began, Wilson was thrust back into the starting role.

Much like his previous two seasons, Wilson put up lackluster numbers in 2023. In 12 games, he passed for 2,271 yards in addition to just eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions. The Jets’ terrible offensive line didn’t help out Wilson either – but multiple seasons of being unable to elevate the play of the team is why Gang Green no longer seems committed long-term to the player once seen as a possible savior of the franchise.

With the Jets allowing Wilson to seek a trade last month, and rumors swirling about what team he will end up with next, here are three of the best landing spots for the talented-but-inconsistent quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Backup quarterbacks are a necessity in the current NFL climate. Sixteen starting quarterbacks missed time in 2023, meaning that having an experienced backup is vital. The Buccaneers depth chart in this regard is not great Kyle Trask has 10 career pass attempts. John Wolford has thrown five interceptions and just one touchdown pass in seven career games. Wilson has had a rough start to his NFL journey, but he has more experience and upside than either of the two quarterbacks mentioned above.

Kansas City Chiefs

Besides Patrick Mahomes, the only other two quarterbacks on the Chiefs roster are Ian Book and Chris Oladokun. Book has 20 pass attempts and Oladokun has yet to see playing time in his career. Like the Buccaneers situation, Wilson would give Kansas City a more experienced and talented backup. Mahomes is also arguably the most valuable player in the league – should he get hurt, having a more reliable and seasoned quarterback behind him in the depth chart remains even more vital.

Minnesota Vikings

Now this would be fun – two former Jets draft picks vying for a starting job? Sam Darnold as of now projected to be the starter for the Vikings in 2024. Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens are still on the roster. But one can dream, right? Two players with so much to prove battling it out in training camp would be fun to think about, not taking into account the numerous roadblocks that would prevent this from happening. Head coach Kevin O’Connell may want to draft a quarterback – but why not take a chance on the talented former BYU product?

Most NFL fans are aware of the freezing weather conditions of one of this year’s NFL Wild Card playoff games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. With temperatures at -4 degrees and wind chill making it feel approximately -20 degrees, it became the fourth coldest game in NFL history.

Despite superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs defeating the Dolphins 26-7, most of the discourse surrounded the bitter cold fans of both teams suffered through during the game. And even months after the game took place, more headlines related to the cold conditions are still surfacing.

Research Medical Center said in a statement last Friday that some fans who attended the Chiefs-Dolphins game had to have parts of their body amputated, mostly fingers and toes. According to an ESPN report, the University of Kansas hospital also noted that while they treated frostbite victims, they had no amputations.

These recent revelations add on to the debate on whether games should be postponed or canceled due to frigid weather conditions. Some X users over the past few days sounded off on the NFL’s lack of properly protecting fans and players from the sub-zero temperatures during games:

It’s clear that on social media many followers of the NFL are concerned about the safety of playing and attending outdoor games in the freezing elements. However, with arctic game conditions present in so many iconic NFL games from the 2007 NFC Championship Game to the 1967 NFL Championship Game, it is hard to see the NFL shift its position on not canceling games due to cold weather.

For this Super Bowl, it’s tough to pick a winner and there are just too many variables that make it wait and see.

Odds makers favor the Philadelphia Eagles by 1.5 points.

However, that’s of course a super thin margin. In comparison with last year, the Los Angeles Rams, which went on to win the Super Bowl, were favored by 4.5 points.

While the Eagles won its two playoff games convincingly, many would argue it has yet to face a big test this postseason.

In the NFC championship game, for example, both Brock Purdy and backup quarterback Josh Johnson got hurt.

Since Johnson was out in the concussion protocol, Purdy was forced to play with a torn UCL in his right elbow and literally could not throw the football.

The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, have had to overcome adversity.

Most notably, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC divisional round.

While he’s been in obvious pain at times, he still found a way to lead the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl.

Remarkably, Mahomes has thrown for more than 500 yards this postseason with four touchdown passes and no interceptions on perhaps one foot.

But now it looks like he might be at or close to full strength, as he has practiced fully this week.

I certainly wouldn’t bet against Mahomes – especially now.

Also, the Chiefs defense stepped up big time in the AFC Championship game – forcing Joe Burrow to throw two interceptions.

That said, Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of talent all the way through its lineup.

Whether it’s Jalen Hurts throwing touchdown passes to AJ Brown, the rushing attack or making plays on the defensive side of the ball – the Eagles can beat teams in so many ways.

It’s going to come down to which team is best prepared to play and how much of the game Mahomes can control.

Super Bowl Sunday could all be about legacy for Patrick Mahomes, as he looks to start putting himself in the greatest of all-time (GOAT) conversation.

The Kansas City Chiefs 27-year-old quarterback talent alone is arguably the greatest thing the NFL has ever seen already.

In just five seasons as a starter, Mahomes has one most valuable player award (2018) and has appeared in an astonishing five AFC championship games.

Add that to the fact that he has been selected for the Pro Bowl five times and will be in his third Super Bowl (one win so far).

As far as production goes, Mahomes has become the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach the 20,000 passing yards plateau.

While he isn’t in the conversation just yet, Mahomes is a special talent.

And barring a career-threatening injury, he has a chance to break multiple records.

But tying or accomplishing more or the same amount of Super Bowl wins than Tom Brady‘s seven might be a steep hill.

That’s especially true if Mahomes and his team aren’t able to pull off a win against the NFC’s best Philadelphia Eagles. 

But the 27-year-old may have to battle through a ton of pain.

Mahomes in the divisional round in the playoffs suffered a high-ankle sprain – and has led his team to the Super Bowl yet again despite it.

If he wins, he passes all-time greats in Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees for Super Bowl wins.

And you would have to think Mahomes has at least another 10 years left of playing in the NFL.

So this might be only the beginning for Mahomes and we can only imagine how much more he is capable of.

To me, he’s not in that conversation just yet for the GOAT – but his resume keeps on building and it might only just be a matter of time before he actually is.

Mahomes not only has the wins – but his arm strength and his mobility inside and outside the pocket are unlike anything the NFL has ever seen.

On Wednesday, team owners approved a rule change allowing different positions to wear a wider range of uniform numbers.

The new rule change will allow quarterbacks, punters and kickers to wear numbers 1-19. Defensive backs can wear 1-49. Running backs, full backs, tight ends, half backs and wide receivers can wear 1-49 and 80-99. Offensive linemen can now wear 50-79, defensive linemen can wear both 50-79 and 80-99. Linebackers are permitted to wear 1-59 and 90-99.

“Frankly, the players themselves like having the options,” NFL executive president of football operations Troy Vincent said after the vote. “I know it is not what we are accustomed to seeing, someone on the line wearing a single digit, but I think it is fun.”

The new guidelines were proposed by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2020, the Chiefs had a shortage of jersey numbers in the 20 to 49 range. The shortage was caused by several jersey numbers retired in the franchise. This is an issue that many other franchises will have in the future.

One prominent NFL Star is upset at the new rule changes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady disagrees with the new rule change. “Good luck trying to block the right people now,” Brady posted on an Instagram story. “Going to make for a lot of bad football.” In the Instagram story the quarterback circled part of the rule change and wrote, “Why not let the Linemen wear whatever they want too? Why have numbers? Just have colored jerseys… why not wear the same numbers?” Brady wrote.

The quarterback then retweeted a tweet with his opposition towards the rule change and wrote, “I would like to speak to the manager please”

Brady opposes the new changes because it would make it harder for offensive linemen to protect quarterbacks.

Ariel Young, the five-year-old girl injured in a car crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid likely has permanent brain damage.

On Tuesday, Tom Porto, the lawyer for the family gave an update about Young’s condition. During an interview on the show Good Morning America, Porto talked about the severity of the crash. Porto first gave good news saying that Young is awake. However, the lawyer then said, “Likely she has permanent brain damage that she will endure for the rest of her life. She’s not walking.”

On February 4, Reid hit two vehicles on the side of a highway entrance ramp with his truck. The crash injured Young, her mother, aunt, and four-year-old cousin inside one of the cars. Young’s family parked their car at the side to help a 19-year-old relative whose car ran out of gas. The four-year-old and the two adults in the second car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Reid was said to have been “driving at highway speeds when his pickup truck struck the first car.” Additionally, Police have said that Reid’s breathe reeked of a moderate odor of alcoholic beverages. Reid told officers that he drank two or three beverages.

The family lawyer is seeking to punish the former assistant coach. “We’re going to be advocating for the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt could ever receive.”

Houston furniture store owner, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is notoriously known for making giant sports bets. On Wednesday, he placed the largest wager on Super Bowl LV so far, betting $3.46 million to the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers at +3.5.

McIngvale made his way to Colorado Springs on Wednesday, where he logged onto the DraftKings mobile sports betting app, and placed one of the largest bets ever on the Super Bowl while he was in the airport.

In a release from DraftKings, McIngvale shared his thoughts, “Tampa Bay is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and led by the greatest football player of all time in Tom Brady, so I’m betting big on the Bucs who have overcome tough matchups this postseason.

This is not the first time McIngvale has placed a bet of this magnitude. In fact, he had more than $11 million on the table when he bet on the 2019 World Series,which featured the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.

One of these bets was a $3.5 million features bet on the Astros that he placed via DraftKings as he was in Biloxi, Mississippi. However, the Astros ended up losing to the Nationals in seven games.

“Mack has been a great customer and is someone we have history with after taking his sizeable wager on the World Series a couple seasons ago,” Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ sportsbook director, said in the release.

The two largest bets on the Super Bowl thus far have both been on Tampa Bay. Besides McIngvale’s bet, a bettor with BetMGM in Nevade placed a $2.3 million bet on the Bucs last week.

Super Bowl LV is set, as we now have the two teams that will be competing on February 7 – defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chiefs are led by Pro Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has been phenomenal throughout the playoffs. So far in the postseason, he completed 70% of his passes, thrown four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. As Mahomes continues to play well, the team does great. In addition, the team has two All-Pro players in wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce and safety Tyrann Mathieu. Both Hill and Kelce are in the top five for receiving yards in the playoffs. Kansas will be relying on a pass-heavy offense.

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The Chiefs defense forced 47% of dropbacks on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the AFC championship game. Kansas could exploit this to put the pressure on Tom Brady. Brady played sloppy as he gave up three interceptions on Sunday. Kansas biggest weakness is their running defense which has not been great this season.

The Buccaneers are led by Brady, who has six Super Bowls under his belt, will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl. The Buccaneers are entering the game on a seven-game win streak. Of those seven, Tampa Bay has scored over 30 points in six games. Tampa Bays’ running offense has been on fire, led by running back Leonard Fournette, who is second in postseason rushing yards with 211. Tampa has been averaging 289 passing yards in the post-season.

Tampa Bay has been effective on defense as they were able to sack Aaron Rodgers multiple times during their Sunday win over the Green Bay Packers. Tampa’s defense is anchored by Devin White, who is the leagues’ postseason leader in sacks with 26. Lavonte David is fourth with 20 tackles. So, the Buccaneers have a good defense that will try to stop Kansas. In addition, Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul are sacking opponent quarterbacks effectively. Barrett leads the postseason by averaging three sacks and Paul is averaging two sacks so far.

Reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes left Sunday’s game early because of a concussion. On Sunday night, it was Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns facing off in the divisional round. The Chiefs were heavily favored as the reigning Super Bowl champions. It was certainly looking like that through the first three-quarters of the game.

Before Mahomes was pulled midway through the third quarter, Kansas was up 13 to the Browns’ three. Mahomes completed 21 of 30 passes, 255 passing yards, two touchdowns. The Chiefs quarterback was pulled after being tackled with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Following the tackle, the star was taken out of the game for a concussion.

Backup veteran quarterback Chad Henne came onto the field to replace the concussed quarterback. With the loss of Mahomes, the Browns were making a comeback, but Henne was able to hold them off. The veteran quarterback led Kansas to a field goal and a pass that led to a touchdown. This enabled the team to beat the Browns 22-17.

Kansas head coach Andy Reid is expecting Mahomes will be cleared to play in Sundays’ AFC Conference championship game against the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes is said to have passed tests and that the tackle did not hit him in the head. Instead, the tackle resulted in a tweaked nerve in the neck for the quarterback. While the franchise quarterback is feeling better, he still needs to clear concussion protocols before being deemed fit to play on Sunday.