The investigation that resulted in the resignation of North Carolina G.M. Michael Lombardi seems to be expanding.
Via WRAL, lawyers hired to conduct the probe have now focused on Tar Heels defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who is currently on medical leave.
Steve Belichick previously served as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, when his father, Bill, was the head coach.
Per the report, investigators are questioning witnesses regarding whether Steve Belichick “used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player.”
The investigation separately is exploring whether an unnamed member of the North Carolina recruiting staff had a sexual relationship with a player, according to the report. Lawyers also have inquired about possible sexual relationships between assistant coaches and the recruiting staff.
Subjects of the interviews include current and former Tar Heels players, parents, and staff members. The investigation also targets documents and screenshots of text conversations.
Although head coach Bill Belichick has not been identified as a focal point of the investigation, he’s the captain of the ship. And the ship, from a cultural standpoint, seems to be sinking.
The Raiders worked out 16 players on Thursday, and the group of tryout players included offensive lineman Evan Neal and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Giants released Neal, who has not played since 2024. The Giants selected him seventh overall in the 2022 draft, and he began his career at right tackle. The Giants moved him to right guard, and he did not play a snap there last season.
He ends his Giants career with 29 games played, including 27 starts.
The Cowboys released Valdes-Scantling on Sunday. In 2025, he appeared in five games each for San Francisco and Pittsburgh, catching four passes for 40 yards with the 49ers and 10 catches for 80 yards and a score with the Steelers.
A fifth-round pick in 2018, Valdes-Scantling has caught 219 passes for 3,686 yards with 21 touchdowns in his career.
The Raiders also worked out offensive guard Evan Beerntsen, wide receiver Ronnie Bell, defensive tackle David Blay, defensive back Stephen Hall defensive back Tre Hawkins, center Trey Hill, offensive tackle Christian Jones, tight end Josh Kattus, linebacker Dasan McCullough, defensive back Latrell McCutchin, defensive end David Ojabo, linebacker Azeez Ojulari, linebacker B.J. Ojulari and offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal.
Mark Sanchez agreed to plead guilty in connection with an October 2025 physical altercation in downtown Indianapolis, according to multiple reports.
The state and Sanchez’s legal team filed a joint motion in Marion County Superior Court 21 on Thursday. They requested the judge vacate the upcoming Sept. 8 jury trial and “set this matter for a guilty plea and sentencing hearing.”
It is unclear what charges Sanchez is pleading guilty to, and a judge still needs to accept Sanchez’s guilty plea.
The former NFL quarterback and former Fox Sports analyst faced charges of battery causing serious injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication.
Sanchez was in town to call a Raiders-Colts game on Oct. 5, when he got into a back alley fight with Perry Tole, a 69-year-old truck driver. Tolle was in the alley between two hotels collecting used cooking oil as part of his job.
Sanchez was hospitalized with several stab wounds in his upper torso, and Tole had deep cuts on his face.
Tole said he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense, and he was not charged. Sanchez told police he remembered nothing.
Sanchez’s trial was continued five times before Thursday’s plea agreement.
Tole has a civil lawsuit pending against Sanchez, Fox and the company that owns St. Elmo’s.
The NCAA’s handling of the Brendan Sorsby gambling case included an investigation regarding his most recent stop. The probe has ended with a finding that the University of Cincinnati violated no rules.
The investigation began after Sorsby’s agent, Ron Slavin, said Cincinnati was aware of Sorsby’s conduct for two years but took no action.
“Earlier this summer, NCAA enforcement staff completed an inquiry into a former Cincinnati student-athlete’s prohibited betting activity during his time at the university,” Cincinnati senior associate athletic director for communications Zach Stipe said in a statement, via ESPN. “The inquiry is now closed and the student-athlete was found to have committed a Level III violation. Cincinnati worked closely with the NCAA throughout the process, which began when the initial reports of impermissible sports wagering began.”
The Level III violation does not apply to the school.
Sorsby’s gambling came to light after he transferred to Texas Tech. After the NCAA terminated his eligibility, Sorsby won an injunction allowing him to play. The Big 12 strong-armed Texas Tech into abandoning that plan, prompting Sorsby to apply for the supplemental draft. In turn, the NFL refused to hold a supplemental draft, essentially freezing him out of pro or college football until 2027.
Sorsby and the NFL eventually reached an agreement pursuant to which Sorsby agreed not to sue the league, and the league agreed to let him enter the draft next April.
The Jets are looking at adding another quarterback to their broader roster.
According to Zack Rosenblatt of TheAthletic.com, New York worked out Will Levis and Jack Plummer for a spot on the practice squad on Thursday.
Levis, a second-round pick in 2023, was waived by the Titans as part of their roster cuts over the weekend and went unclaimed. While he missed the 2025 season due to injury, he started 21 games for Tennessee from 2023-2024, completing 61.0 percent of his passes for 3,899 yards with 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Plummer is the UFL’s reigning MVP, having won it for his season with the Orlando Storm. He led the UFL with 2,188 passing yards while tossing 17 touchdowns with just one interception in 10 games. He previously spent time with the Panthers and worked out for the 49ers and Dolphins this summer.
New York currently has just rookie Cade Klubnik on its 53-man roster at quarterback behind starter Geno Smith. Veteran Bailey Zappe is on the team’s practice squad.
