New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower announces retirement from NFL

Longtime New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Hightower, who opted out of the 2021 season due to COVID-19 and did not play in 2022, made the announcement in an article for The Players’ Tribune: “Today, I am officially retiring from the NFL. I know these announcements always feel bittersweet, but I can’t think of a better story than the one I wrote in New England. A decade, three Super Bowls, two Pro Bowls, and the birth of my son — all playing for one franchise. How many guys have a story like that? So this is a happy day for me, and I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate you embracing a Southern kid from Lewisburg, Tennessee … I just want to say thank you for helping me live my dream. To you, to my beautiful wife, Morgan, to all my coaches, my teammates, my mentors, my teachers, my friends, my entire family, and to all the fans at Bama and New England….Thank you. Just thank you. I wouldn’t rewrite a single chapter of this story.”

Hightower won three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots. The two-time Pro Bowl selection logged 71 combined tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in 15 starts in 2019, and totaled 64 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pass defensed in 15 starts in 2021.  Hightower logged 569 combined tackles, 43 tackles for a loss, 27 sacks, 18 passes defensed, five fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception in 117 career appearances for the Patriots.

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Luke Combs and wife Nicole expecting second child together

Luke Combs and his wife, Nicole Combs announced on Instagram they are expecting their second baby together, due in September. Luke captioned the post “Joining the 2 under 2 club! Baby boy #2 coming this September!!” and Nicole wrote in her Instagram story that the new addition to the family is “a sweet surprise 🤍”

The couple’s first son, Tex, was born on Father’s Day, June 2022.  Combs shared in a sweet announcement at the time: “Welp he decided that Fathers Day would be a good time to show up. I couldn’t agree more. Me and @nicolejcombs are over the moon in love with this little guy. Mama and baby are healthy and we’re back home now with family. Life is good. Everyone welcome Tex Lawrence Combs to the world!”

Tex also made an appearance in the social media post announcing Baby No. 2, wearing a t-shirt that reads “big brother” on it.  Combs set the video announcement to his new song “Take You With Me,” a soon-to-be released track from his upcoming LP, Gettin’ Old, due out Friday, March 24th.

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Jon Pardi to kick-off ‘Mr Saturday Night’ World Tour

Jon Pardi will kick-off his ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ world tour named after his latest album. Pardi will kick-off the tour in Belfast in late August, with stops across the U.K., in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Oslo, Stockholm and across North America. Serving as support on select dates will be Midland, Jackson Dean, Randall King, Ella Langley, and DJ Highmax.

Pardi’s fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night, was released in September. The 14-track project included “Fill ‘Er Up,” “Last Night Lonely,” “Your Heart Or Mine,” “Longneck Way To Go” (Midland featuring Jon Pardi), the title track and other fan-favorites. Said Pardi when the LP dropped: “It’s kind of got everything. It’s got loneliness, it’s got happiness, it’s got love, it’s got drinking songs. You can’t have an album titled Mr. Saturday Night and not have a bunch of songs that are fun. It’s not too crazy different, but it’s just good, and I tried to make the best album I can. I think you all will dig it.”

General on sale begins Friday, March 24th at 10 am local time via Ticketmaster.

Jon Pardi announces 2023 Mr Saturday Night World Tour

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James Gunn will write and direct ‘Superman: Legacy’ reboot

James Gunn confirmed he will be writing and directing the upcoming Superman: Legacy film, with Deadline reporting that Gunn — the new head honcho of Warner Bros. DC Studios division — will be helming one of the most important projects for the rebooted DC Universe.

Kicking-off his “Chapter One, Gods and Monsters” of the DC Universe, Gunn and co-chairman & CEO Peter Safran are looking to add younger actors who can carry the DC franchise for the next decade and beyond. Gone from the DC Universe under Gunn’s leadership are Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Black Adam) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman).

Gunn announced last fall he was writing a new Superman movie, and that Henry Cavill would not be returning as the Man of Steel as the project deals with the character’s early days. Superman: Legacy will tell the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, and Gunn has noted that his Superman will be younger than his 40s.

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Billie Eilish makes her acting debut in Amazon Prime series “Swarm”

Billie Eilish has made her acting debut in the new Amazon Prime thriller from Donald Glover, ‘Swarm.’ In addition to Billie, the show stars Chloe Bailey, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, and internet star Rickey Thompson.

Eilish had surprised fans last week with a short clip of her in the new series, which finds her sitting across Dominique Fishback’s character Dre, for a tense conversation.  Eilish whispers: “Did you hurt someone?” and when Dre answers “yes,” Billie responds “very good.”   Eilish then shared on Instagram a slide show of photos from behind the scenes of her cameo appearance.

Created by Donald Glover (also known as Childish Gambino) and Janine Nabers, Swarm will focus on an obsessed fan from Houston (Fishback) who goes to extreme lengths to get close to her favorite R&B singer Ni’jah, played by Chloe Bailey.  The story is said to be inspired by the Beyhive and certain fans’ relationship with their idol, Beyoncé.  However, a disclaimer appears at the start of each episode, reading:  “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.”

Eilish’s role is inspired by the real-life NXIVM cult.  Co-creator Janine Nabers told the Hollywood Reporter “There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time … And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode. And I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of The Beatles or whatever. What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of ‘something’, and [exploring] this idea of what is the cult of the mind.”

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Pres. Biden issues first veto blocking retirement investment resolution critical of ‘woke’ ideas

President Biden issued the first veto of his presidency on Monday, blocking a resolution that would have tossed what Republicans called a “woke” Department of Labor rule to weigh the effect of climate change and social factors when making investments.   Biden said in a tweet: “I just vetoed my first bill. This bill would risk your retirement savings by making it illegal to consider risk factors MAGA House Republicans don’t like. Your plan manager should be able to protect your hard-earned savings — whether Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene likes it or not.”

In a statement, Biden said: “There is extensive evidence showing that environmental, social, and governance factors can have a material impact on markets, industries, and businesses. But the Republican-led bill would force retirement managers to ignore these relevant risk factors, disregarding the principles of free markets and jeopardizing the life savings of working families and retirees. In fact, this bill would prevent plan fiduciaries from taking into account factors like the physical risks of climate change and poor corporate governance, that could affect investment returns.”

The resolution was introduced in the GOP-led House by Republican Rep. Andy Barr and passed in late February. The Senate soon voted 50 to 46 to overturn the rule, with Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Jon Tester joining Republicans in support. House GOP leaders intend to hold a vote on overriding the president’s veto, which would require the support of two thirds of both chambers. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a statement: “President Biden’s first veto is against a bipartisan bill that protects retirement savings from political interference. It is clear that President Biden wants Wall Street to use your hard-earned money not to grow your savings, but to fund a far-left political agenda. That will hurt seniors and workers, especially after President Biden’s reckless spending caused record inflation and rapid interest rate hikes.”

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Jury finds 3 men guilty in 2018 killing of rapper XXXTentacion

On Monday, a Florida jury found three men guilty in the 2018 killing of rapper XXXTentacion (real name Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy), who was 20-years-old at the time of his death.  The jury in Broward County convicted Michael Boatwright, 27; Dedrick Williams, 26; and Trayvon Newsome, 24, on all charges — including first-degree murder for gunning down and robbing the rapper outside of a motorbike shop in Deerfield, Fla. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.

Prosecutors say the three men, along with 26-year-old Robert Allen, held up Onfroy and a family member outside of the shop while he was carrying $50,000 in cash on him (Onfroy reportedly was carrying the large sum of cash because he intended to buy a motorcycle that day, with the money kept in a Louis Vuitton satchel.). Onfroy’s family member was able to escape the scene despite Newsome pointing a gun at the vehicle he and Onfroy were in. Boatwright and Newsome were armed while Williams was driving the getaway vehicle. A struggle ensued and at least one of the men shot Onfroy. Allen testified that he plotted with the three defendants to rent a car and go on a robbery spree, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2022. He is still awaiting his sentence. The prosecution closed by showing a video of the suspects dancing and celebrating with hands full of $100 bills hours after the shooting took place.

Boatwright, Newsome and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced on April 6.

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Coach Rick Pitino agrees to 6-year deal with St. John’s University

Rick Pitino has been named the new coach at St. John’s University. The school announced Pitino’s hiring but did not disclose terms; however sources told ESPN that Pitino, who led Iona to the NCAA tournament this season, agreed to a six-year contract. Pitino will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach who has been to seven Final Fours.

Pitino informed his Iona Gaels team in a meeting Monday afternoon that he was leaving the squad that he led to two NCAA tournament appearances in his three seasons on the job. In a series of tweets on Monday, he thanked the Iona administration and his players, saying:  “… I’m not sad it ended. I’m so grateful it happened. To my players, the last three years. All I can say is you know how much I love you.”

Pitino is the only coach to lead three programs to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville), and won national titles with Kentucky and Louisville. St. John’s had been courting the 70-year-old Pitino since the recent firing of coach Mike Anderson, and is sad to have landed him with what’s being described as a ‘lucrative financial package.’  While meeting with St. John’s officials over the weekend Pitino laid out his vision for the program and engaged with the officials about the school’s commitment, as sources said he would be taking the job with the intention of competing for Big East championships and the national title. The two sides talked about what’s needed for the program going forward.

Pitino will be St. John’s most decorated coach since Lou Carnesecca stepped down in 1992.  St. John’s has been to two Final Fours in its history and reached just three NCAA tournaments since 2002. Pitino has not only won two national titles but has coached in 23 NCAA tournaments.

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to receive multiyear contract extension

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to receive a multiyear contract extension at next week’s NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. Schefter’s sources told him that the extension will be worth three years (two of Goodell’s previous contracts were for three years, as well.)

Goodell took over the commissioner role in 2006, replacing Paul Tagliabue and had his contract extended in ’09, ’12 and ’17. During this most recent extension, Goodell and the NFL owners accepted a collective bargaining agreement in 2020 with the players that established the 17-game season and 14-team playoff format. Additionally, the league agreed to an 11-year, $113 billion media rights deal in 2021 with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon.

It is likely that this extension will be the 64-year-old Goodell’s last. who is just the fifth commissioner in league history, following Elmer Layden (1941-46), Bert Bell (1946-59), Pete Rozelle (1960-89) and Tagliabue (1989-2006).

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Brad Paisley is inducted into RodeoHouston’s ‘Star Trail of Fame’

Brad Paisley was inducted into the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s prestigious ‘Star Trail of Fame’ over the weekend. Paisley is the tenth artist inducted into the Star Trail of Fame, joining an elite list of artists that includes Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Selena and more.

The honor came ahead of his performance in front of a sold-out crowd of 74,577 people, as part of his performance at RodeoHouston, where he performed for the 15th time. Paisley joined an impressive list of artists performing at this year’s RodeoHouston, including Cody Johnson, Walker Hayes, the Zac Brown Band, Lauren Daigle, Luke Combs, New Kids on the Block, Kenny Chesney, Ashley McBryde before concluding with a performance from Luke Bryan on Sunday, March 19.

Said Paisley: “RodeoHouston has invested in this show, in a way that I’ve never seen. I can’t even tell you what it means. The names up there are absolutely staggering. And that’s what’s crazy, you see Selena, Elvis, Roy Rogers …and then some guy that nobody knows.”

Chris Boleman, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo president and CEO, added: “We are so grateful for Brad’s continuous support of the show and his overall impact on our community. We are thrilled that Brad Paisley will now be a permanent part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with a place on the Star Trail of Fame.”

For music and tour date information, head to BradPaisley.com.

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