Sports
NFL Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins on personal style, doubts surrounding Bills, protecting star QB Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills host the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 8 to kick off their 2024 campaign. While star quarterback Josh Allen begins his seventh NFL season in Western New York, this year’s Bills team looks drastically different from the 2023 edition.
Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans and will catch passes from rising star C.J. Stroud instead of Allen. Safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde also left as part of the Bills’ offseason shuffle.
While the Bills roster went through some considerable turnover throughout the offseason, one prominent member of the team’s offense is not only returning, he remains firmly entrenched along the offensive line.
Dion Dawkins was drafted in 2017 and has spent his entire standout NFL career in Buffalo. He has also been named to four consecutive Pro Bowls. The star offensive lineman told Fox News Digital what he’s learned after blocking for Allen for six years.
Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills looks on from the sideline prior to the game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Nov. 26, 2023. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Dawkins noted that continuity along any offensive line is key.
“Our quarterback needs to learn where he’s comfortable at in the pocket, if he can stand [at a certain spot] longer or stand [somewhere else] longer or stand [in another position behind the offensive line] longer … all the way from the left tackle to the right. That’s where that verbiage comes from. Us in Buffalo, last year we had the whole line the entire year … blessings … we were healthy. But every year it changes.
“I’ve have had a different guard next to me since I started. I’ve been in the league for eight years. You figure it out, but when [the] guys stay together, it’s usually better for the quarterback. Timing, position, who’s the heavier guy and how we’re blocking from skinny to faster, it’s a whole ordeal.”
Dion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills lines up during the first quarter against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
When asked about which defensive lineman he looks forward to competing against, Dawkins credited Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. He also pointed to the talent along the New York Jets defensive line as a whole.
“The Jets have a great defensive line. That’s why [the level of intensity] is always so high, because they’re good players who talk, we’re good lineman that talk. The clash is always there, it’s just a beautiful battle. But I would say Myles Garrett, the Bengals, the Jets, those teams are very physical teams and that’s why all that passion and all that anger comes out.”
The Jets and the Bills both play in the AFC East, which gives Dawkins the opportunity to take on the Jets defensive line two times per season.
Offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, left, and quarterback Josh Allen (Ralph Freso/Getty Images/File)
Dawkins’ disciplined training regime has been a key part of his success on the football field. This past offseason, he spent a few weeks in California and worked with a trainer at UCLA.
“I [went] to TruFusion and did a sauna, a boot-camp class, and then I [walked] five miles every day,” Dawkins shared about some of the methods he put in practice to “get his body ready and right” for training camp and the regular season.
TruFusion is a fitness and yoga boutique that provides its members with access to heated and unheated yoga, Pilates, fitness boot camps and other activities. The company has locations in California, Nevada and several other states across the U.S.
While Dawkins acknowledged the loss of respected voices in the locker room like Diggs and other teammates, he also realizes change is inevitable given the business nature of the NFL.
Stefon Diggs (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images/File)
“There is a lot of guys that are not there. But this is the NFL,” Dawkins told the NFL Network last month. “Guys come, guys go, guys have to be ready. I think, regardless of who is in those spots, we know that they’re going to give it their all. You know, like, 14 [Stefon Diggs], 21 [Jordan Poyer], 23 [Micah Hyde], all those numbers might not have those same faces, but we’re shooting for the stars.
“Everybody is counting us out, which I’m cool with. We can fly underneath that radar and hit everybody with uppercuts. I’m perfectly fine with it, but I’m going to support those guys from a distance. It’s definitely different, and I’m still adjusting to it. I’m trying to answer it, but I’m just adjusting to it every day because it is different, man. It really is.”
When it comes to fashion, Dawkins frequently shows off his unique style on his social media platforms. He frequently collaborates with his personal shopper. Dawkins also said his physique requires him to always plan ahead so that he gives himself enough time to pull some custom pieces together.
“I … have a shopper who has become like a stylist,” Dawkins told Fox News Digital. “Sebastian, he’s making suits. [His] mentality, he’s insane.
“You know big boys, it’s harder to go to the store or size it, you got to come up with it,” said the offensive tackle, who is listed on the Bills roster at 6 feet 5 inches tall and 320 pounds. “We got to plan to be fly.”
The Sean McDermott-coached Bills qualified for the postseason for a fifth consecutive year in 2023 after finishing the regular season with an 11-6 record. The Bills got past the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl LVIII champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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Sports
USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun receives controversial red card during Round of 32 match
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U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun received a red card in the second half of their Round of 32 World Cup matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
Balogun was making a challenge on a ball when he stepped on an opposing player’s leg.
The U.S. men’s national team is down to 10 players for the rest of the match. If the U.S. holds their 1-0 lead, Balogun will have to miss the Round of 16 game.
Balogun scored for the U.S. in the first half.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Sports
Dodgers’ Will Smith won’t return before the All-Star break
SACRAMENTO — The first half of the season will conclude with Will Smith in the same place he has been for the last month: the injured list.
The Dodgers’ three-time All-Star catcher has been on the IL since June 8 because of what the Dodgers list as neck inflammation. Smith said he had been diagnosed with an inflamed disk.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he “just can’t see any world” in which Smith would return before the All-Star break, which concludes July 16.
“It’s certainly longer, I know, than all of us expected,” Roberts said. “But I don’t think it’s anything real, kind of affecting-the-season type thing.”
Roberts said Smith has not been able to accelerate his rehabilitation to the point of doing baseball activities.
Dalton Rushing, who has taken over as the Dodgers’ primary catcher in Smith’s absence, is batting .213 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 18 games while Smith has been on the injured list. The Dodgers gave Rushing the day off Wednesday.
The Dodgers were 14-6 with Smith on the IL entering play Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, the team scratched shortstop Mookie Betts from the starting lineup because of a sore right wrist.
Sports
Ex-NFL reporter Dianna Russini interaction with police officer to dodge traffic ticket comes to light
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Police bodycam footage appeared to refute a claim made by former NFL reporter Dianna Russini earlier this year about what she did to get out of a traffic ticket.
Russini, whose relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel led to her resigning from her role with The Athletic in April, said on the “Stugotz and Company” show back in February that she FaceTimed the NFL coach, though she didn’t drop the name, of the officer’s favorite team after being pulled over for being on her phone.
It was a story that came up again during the New York Times’ deep dive into the Russini-Vrabel controversy, and now police bodycam footage has confirmed that wasn’t the case. However, she did name-drop a coach.
ESPN reporter Dianna Russini looks on during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 16, 2018. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
The footage went just over seven minutes long, as Russini was stopped in Ridgewood, New Jersey, for using her phone while driving. Not only did a FaceTime never happen, but no call at all occurred during the exchange between Russini and the officer.
What did occur, though, was Russini showing the officer texts she had been having with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, and she showed the officer her phone with the texts on it.
DIANNA RUSSINI PULLED PATHETIC MOVE WITH AN OFFICER TO GET OUT OF A TICKET, AND IT SHOULD HAVE THE NFL NERVOUS
“I’m an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Seam McDermott got fired from the Bills,” Russini told the officer almost immediately, understanding why she was being pulled over. “I was gonna pull over because I have to make calls. I know you don’t care, but I’m just letting you know my reason why. It was a work thing and it was an emergency for what I do.”
McDermott was fired the morning of Jan. 19, which was the date shown on the bodycam footage, after the Bills’ AFC Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos.
The officer replied that Russini had been on her phone “for a while” before pulling her over, though he did acknowledge she had a job to do.
Russini continued, telling the officer that former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll “wants the job” with the Bills. He was connected to the team given his history with Buffalo prior to joining the Giants, but they hired in-house with Joe Brady being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. Daboll ended up joining Robert Saleh’s staff as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
Russini, then, asked if the officer was a Giants or Jets fan given the New Jersey ties. When he responded by saying he was a Vikings fan, it prompted Russini to seemingly show texts with O’Connell. The conversation, which included Russini saying the Vikings’ quarterback “sucks” and “KOC’s awesome” ultimately led to the officer letting her off with a warning.
“I’m gonna cut you a break on the cellphone,” the officer was heard saying. “I understand your job requires you to be on the phone a lot. Just try to wait until you get home, OK?”
PATRIOTS SAY THEY ‘FULLY SUPPORT’ MIKE VRABEL AMID LATEST IN CONTROVERSY INVOLVING DIANNA RUSSINI
The Center Square first reported Russini’s interaction with the officer.
Fox News Digital reached out to Russini and the Vikings for comment.
Ridgewood Police Chief Forest Lyons issued a statement on the matter.
“On January 19, 2026, at 9:40 a.m., a Ridgewood police officer conducted a motor vehicle stop on Godwin Avenue involving Ms. Dianna Russini for the use of a handheld cell phone while driving,” the statement read. “After following department protocol during the stop, and reviewing Ms. Russini’s driving history, the officer exercised his professional discretion and issued a verbal warning to Ms. Russini.
Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“The use of officer discretion in determining whether to issue a warning or a citation is consistent with Ridgewood Police Department policy and longstanding practice. Police officers are encouraged to use their judgment and, when appropriate, provide motorists with warnings as part of the Department’s commitment to fair, impartial and community-oriented policing.”
Russini resigned from her post at The Athletic amid mounting criticism over her relationship with Vrabel after photographs of them hugging and holding hands at a private resort in Sedona, Arizona, went viral. After initially trying to downplay it, saying “reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini ultimately released her resignation.
After the original photos, others dating back to 2020 showed Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing, and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “He had a ring on.”
Dianna Russini appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
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While Russini resigned, Vrabel was back with the Patriots after a counseling visit, which fell on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Vrabel said he had difficult conversations with his family, while also speaking with his players about the situation. The Patriots said before the draft they “fully support” Vrabel, allowing him to seek the counseling he desired despite four rounds of the draft still remaining.
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