Former NFL quarterback Brian Hoyer and his family are mourning a loved one who died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”

In a social media post, Hoyer revealed his sister-in-law, Carissa, died last Friday. She was 36. Details about Carissa’s death were not immediately made public.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write this,” Hoyer captioned an Instagram post. Carissa is survived by Brian’s brother, Brett Hoyer, and their four young daughters.

“In an instant, he became a widowed father to four daughters under 12,” the former New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback added.

The family launched a GoFundMe campaign for financial support, and Hoyer shared information on the fundraiser on his social media platform. The campaign is seeking $100,000. As of Thursday evening, the fund had exceeded its donation goal.

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The GoFundMe’s description described Carissa as “a strong and courageous woman who dearly loved her family” and who “cherished the opportunity to build a family of her own.”

“She truly felt called to be a wife and mother, and she embraced that role with her whole heart,” the tribute stated. “She was the heart and soul of their home, a steady source of encouragement, faith, warmth, and unconditional love through every challenge and every joy.”

The financial support aims to “help ease daily pressures as Brett steps into the role of a single parent.”

“Our hope is simple. We want Brett to be able to focus on loving his girls, grieving together, and beginning the long process of healing without the constant weight of financial stress,” the description continued. “We cannot take away their pain, but together we can help carry the weight.”

Brian’s other brother, Matthew, expressed gratitude for all the support the family has received. 

“There truly are no words to fully express what this means to our family,” he wrote.

Hoyer last appeared in an NFL game in 2023 with the Raiders. He made his debut with the Patriots in 2009 and returned to the franchise in 2024 as a member of its broadcast team.

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PHOENIX — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not hesitate when asked about his expectations for Mookie Betts.

“He will be in the MVP conversation this year,” Roberts said this week. “But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship. So, I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen. I just want him to focus on just being healthy, helping us win, and then whatever happens outside of that, will happen.”

Coming off a season that got off on the wrong foot with a stomach virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds and then saw him set career lows for batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.326) and OPS (.732), Betts is eager to move forward. And with a more typical spring training timeline this year — unlike the previous two years when season-opening games in South Korea and Japan sped up preparations — Betts can ease into his seventh season with the Dodgers.

“I haven’t had a regular spring maybe since I’ve been a Dodger,” said Betts, who also won’t be participating in the World Baseball Classic as he did in 2023. “I just know that, being 33 now, I don’t have to hurry up and get here, and be ready to play from day one. So, I can just kind of embrace that. Not everybody’s blessed to have that, so being that I am one of the ones that’s blessed with that, I’ll see what I can make of it.”

One thing that’s not in question for Betts heading into the season: his shortstop play. Despite the nearly unprecedented shift from the outfield to the infield, Betts played 148 games at short last season and was a Gold Glove Award finalist. The work he put in to learn a new position raised questions about whether that was a root cause of his hitting struggles, a point he granted some credence to late last season.

Betts did pick up the pace late in the season, batting .317 and nearly doubling his home run total from 11 to 20 over his final 47 games. But he slumped in the NLCS and World Series, batting a combined .136 and was eventually dropped from second to third in the batting order for Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, then fourth for Games 6 and 7.

Roberts said this week that he intends to slot Betts third in the batting order this season, with Shohei Ohtani still in the leadoff spot. (He added that Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and newcomer Kyle Tucker are all in play for the second and fourth spots in the order.)

“I like [Betts] in the number three in the sense that there’s an on-base component, there’s a ‘get hits’ component, there’s a drive-in-runs component, and you’re more of a Swiss Army knife in the lineup,” Roberts said. “So, I’m not beholden to it, but I like him in the three-hole right now.”

And as a result, Roberts feels bullish about Betts this season.

“I think he had a great offseason,” Roberts said. “He’s in a good headspace. The body’s good, and I think for me, it’s just getting back to being who he is. I just think that last year was an outlier offensive season, and I’m not too concerned about Mookie at all.”

Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start Cactus League opener

Roberts announced Thursday that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start the Dodgers’ first spring training game Saturday against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. He did not share how many pitches or innings Yamamoto expects to throw, but he did state that it will likely be Yamamoto’s only Cactus League start before departing to play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

Roberts also revealed what players may start Saturday’s Cactus League opener.

“I would expect Will Smith to be in there,” Roberts said. “I expect [Teoscar Hernández] in there, and probably Andy [Pages]. I think that’s safe, and then we’ll go from there.”

Roberts plans to hold other veteran players until next week.

“Guys like Mookie and Muncy, I’m going to start those guys a little bit later than this weekend and see where we go,” Roberts said. “Once they get going, then we’ll stagger and give them the ample time in-between. I’ve got to appreciate that it’s a longer spring. So, if they’re going to be here for six weeks, then I don’t want to kind of come in too hot, I want to pace them out a little bit.”

Freeman said Thursday that he will not play in the Dodgers’ first three spring training games.

“I feel good, I’m ready to go, but we are going to slow-play it a little bit,” Freeman said. “I won’t play until I think Tuesday, so the fourth game, and then I’ll get going.”

Team USA and Canada will reignite their bitter rivalry on Thursday in the gold medal game in women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

All eyes will be on the Americans when the puck drops in Milan, Italy, at 1:10 p.m. ET. “Miracle on Ice” star Jim Craig will be among those watching.

He shared some advice for the women’s team ahead of the game.

“As the women of Team USA go for gold, remember — the moment isn’t bigger than you. You’ve prepared for this,” he wrote on X. “Trust the work. Trust each other. Compete with heart.

“When you play for the name on the front of the jersey, anything is possible.”

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Craig was the netminder for Team USA when the U.S. won gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics, upsetting the Soviet Union and topping Finland for the gold.

It hasn’t been the same strife for the women’s side as they have mostly been in cruise control during the Olympics this time around. The Americans outscored their opponents in group play, 16-1, including a 5-0 victory over Canada on Feb. 10.

In the tournament portion, Team USA has outscored their opponents 11-0.

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The U.S. will look to capture gold in a revenge moment from the 2022 Beijing Games. Canada topped the U.S., 3-2, in that game. The U.S. and Canada have squared off in each gold medal game since the 2010 Olympics in Canada.

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