Sports
NFL stars give crucial advice to incoming rookies, warn how league 'can eat you up'
The first round has come and gone in the 2024 NFL Draft, and more players will be chosen Friday and Saturday to round out draft classes for all 32 teams. Even undrafted free agents will find a home in hopes they can make a roster after training camp.
Yes, this is a time to celebrate the realization of a dream come true. But the transition from college to the NFL is one of the hardest to make in sports, no matter your draft stock.
For Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray, expectations were sky-high when he was selected first overall in the 2019 Draft. It’s the position USC’s Caleb Williams finds himself in with the Chicago Bears.
Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium Nov. 26, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
Whether a player is a quarterback, wide receiver, offensive lineman or any other position, teams expect their draft picks to succeed. Speaking with Fox News Digital, Murray offered some advice for those incoming rookies looking to make an immediate impact based on his own experience getting acclimated to the league.
“As far as the league goes, the off-the-field stuff and being in the professional building. Carrying yourself the right way at all times. Obviously, as quarterbacks, we naturally already have that ingrained in us,” Murray said, while discussing his new partnership with Recover 180.
“That adjustment, the schedule and all that stuff, for me, the biggest thing was just college and the NFL were completely different in that way.
KYLER MURRAY EXCITED FOR NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL-ORGANIC SPORTS DRINK RECOVER 180 FOCUSED ON PROPER HYDRATION
“If you’re not self-motivated, I feel like the NFL can eat you up. You’re not being spoon-fed, you’re not being babied anymore. It’s not all on you. But if you wake up on Sunday, and you’re not in the team hotel, the camaraderie and everything is different. You’re playing with guys who are 10 years older than you. They got families. You’re not hanging out all the time. It’s just a lot different.”
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown agrees with Murray, though he says it’s easier for guys drafted in the first round to have more of a sense of security considering the millions they’re making on rookie deals.
St. Brown was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of USC, and he went viral because he can name every wide receiver taken before him that year. Fox News Digital asked if he can still do so after playing three years in the league.
“Does a brown bear poop in the woods?” he responded.
The motivation of proving to 31 teams they got it wrong leaving him on the draft board led to St. Brown signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension with $77 million guaranteed.
No matter how motivation comes, it goes a long way, especially for those who will be taken on the second and third days of the draft.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) of the Detroit Lions celebrates after a play against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFC championship at Levi’s Stadium Jan. 28, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“When you get drafted later, or even go undrafted, you might not even last up until training camp,” St. Brown said. “You might get cut after training camp. You might make it six weeks into the league, then they decide to cut you. So, it’s a different mentality.
“But having that self-motivation is everything because now you have money – all you ever wanted was to go to the NFL. But, for some guys, they don’t just want to go to the NFL. They want to stay in the NFL. They want to do great things, whether that’s win Super Bowls, make it to the playoffs, Pro Bowls, whatever it is. Some guys have different motivation, I think, and that’s the guys who really make it in this league. They have greater aspirations than just making it to the NFL.”
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle also wants these players to remember it doesn’t matter where you’re drafted. He was a fifth-round pick in 2017, and he’s now one of the best tight ends in the game with a contract extension already on the books.
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“The only thing that really matters is how you show up and what you do every single day,” he said. “As long as you’re consistent, as long as you’re your best self every single day and you put your best self on tape, you’re respectful in the building, you got a chance to go out there and achieve your dream.”
Like any professional sport, overnight success is rare. Players may not realize their full potential until years later. St. Brown used Carolina Panthers receiver Adam Thielen as an example, pointing out how it took him two years before he took off with the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. And Thielen was an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota St.
There are many more examples of late-round or undrafted players finding their way years after breaking into the league, but the point still remains the same today. St. Brown elaborated.
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown catch during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium Oct. 8, 2023, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
“The cream always rises to the top,” he said. “It means no matter where you get picked, whether it’s the first pick of the draft or the last pick — like [49ers quarterback] Brock Purdy — or anywhere in between or undrafted, I think, at the end of the day, the best players will always come to light. Whether that’s in a year, whether that’s in two years. Some guys’ processes are different.”
Murray said he was more prepared than others considering he knew he was a potential first overall selection.
He thanked his coach at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley, and for sitting behind Baker Mayfield, who went No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Browns the year Murray won the Heisman Trophy.
But while discipline and following rules are paramount to rookie success in year one, Murray doesn’t want players walking on eggshells either. If players get too tight, mistakes are made.
“I would tell all rookies, ‘Be yourself,’” Murray explained. “And what I mean by that is don’t be the guy coming in – you want to be humble, and you want to be observant of everything and be listening to everybody. But, at the same time, you understand what got you here, who you are as a player, who you are as a person. Be that guy because that’s the guy who got you drafted.
Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals looks to pass during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field Dec. 31, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I see far too often guys come into the league, and they’re too wide-eyed and too hesitant to make plays. What got you here is why you got drafted and what these people want. Don’t lose the swag, continue to be you and go play your game.”
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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.
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.
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“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?”
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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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