Browsing: care

John Cena shared an honest statement about Vince McMahon recently. The Cenation Leader, who is set to make his final WWE in-ring appearance next week, was asked about McMahon during an interview.

The Chain Gang Soldier has always been open about Vince McMahon’s contribution to his career and has always had a close relationship with the former WWE CEO. Cena was a guest on the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, where he shared a heartfelt statement about his relationship with Mr.McMahon.

He said that he loves Vince and that he was not downplaying the situation that McMahon is in currently. He added that he knew people would be angry about this, but they could never share the sentiment he had for Mr. McMahon. He said:

“I donâ€t care who hears it – I love Vince. Iâ€m not downplaying anything that needs to be decided or allegations of any kind, but when I love somebody, I love them wholeheartedly. I know people are going to be angry about that, but they canâ€t put their value on my relationship with somebody I love.”

John Cena Speaks About Vince McMahon’s WWE Return, Accountability

Elsewhere in the podcast, John Cena was asked about Vince McMahon’s potential return to WWE. The Cenation Leader stated that as far as he knew, McMahon was out of the company. He also revealed that the two recently had a conversation with regards to Cena’s retirement match. He said:

“No, heâ€s out… No, I — well, I donâ€t know. Again, thatâ€s way — we were talking about like, ‘Why is your last event in this place?†Iâ€m like, ‘Man, because I donâ€t choose the events.†All that stuff is so far above me, but I know now heâ€s out.”

When asked to elaborate on his feelings about McMahon being out of World Wrestling Entertainment, Cena stated that he believed in forgiveness, and looking at the contributions of McMahon, however, he added that he really didn’t have a say in the situation, given the allegations against Vince. He said:

“In my eyes, Iâ€d like to think that time heals everything. And I believe in forgiveness; I also believe in looking at the body of work. I also know there is a lot of fragile stuff going on there. I donâ€t know, man, I donâ€t know.”

Cena then stated that McMahon needed to be held accountable for his actions despite his feelings for him. He declared that the whole situation in court needed to be played out, and then a decision could be made if McMahon should be allowed back in the Stamford-based promotion. He said:

“Iâ€ve learned to become a little more accountable for what I say. And just because I feel a certain way about a person doesnâ€t exonerate them from being accountable for their actions. And just because he did start quote-unquote ‘all this gangster s***,†doesnâ€t mean he doesnâ€t need to be accountable for his actions. So letâ€s figure out what that means, and then figure out if we can move forward and bring it back in the fold or if it stays the way it is.”

h/t: ewrestlingnews

You can check out the entire interview below:

In related news, the Janel Grant lawsuit takes another turn thanks to Mr.McMahon’s doctor.

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Nick Khan claims he doesnâ€t care what the WWE Universe thinks about it, be it positive or negative.

WWE President Nick Khan was a recent guest on Logan Paulâ€s IMPAULSIVE Podcast. When asked about wrestling fans†opinions of him, Khan said he doesnâ€t care what they think about him and only cares about ratings, revenue, and relevancy.

“If you walked into a crowded restaurant and said, ‘Please give me your anonymous feedback,†and they came back saying, ‘Your hair is too white. Your shirt is too ugly,†and Iâ€m like, ‘Hey, how could you say these things?†You asked for it. I get it,†Nick Khan said. “Iâ€ve never once searched my name on X. Iâ€ve never once searched my name on the internet.

“Whether itâ€s positive or negative, I donâ€t care about that. I care about, at WWE, part of my job is ratings, revenue, and relevancy. We refer to it as the three Râ€s. Those are the things Iâ€m focused on. If a fan out there says, ‘Hey, this piece of shit President of the company.†Doesnâ€t matter to me. If they also said, ‘This guy is so great.†Doesnâ€t matter. If Iâ€m close with you, then I care what your opinion is of me. If Iâ€m not (I donâ€t care).†[H/T: Fightful]

Nick Khan claims Rey Mysterio was nothing until he joined WWE

Elsewhere in the podcast, Khan had some wild comments regarding WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. Claiming that Mysterio was considered a nothing in WCW before he signed with WWE in 2002, and “the machine†got behind him.

You can check out Khanâ€s comments by clicking here.

READ MORE: Nick Khan Clarifies Who Is Calling The Shots For John Cenaâ€s Retirement Tour

What do you make of Nick Khanâ€s comments? Do you believe heâ€s never vanity searched himself online? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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Each day, Manchester United’s players drive down Birch Road, occasionally stopping for the horses from the Carrington Riding Centre or a cyclist, and turn into the club’s training ground. When the autograph seekers are satisfied and the entry barriers are lifted, they turn in front of the red neon “Manchester United” sign and head toward the first team parking lot behind the main building.

With their sports cars and luxury SUVs locked and their travel bags under their arms, they walk inside.

Once in the area known as the “players’ corridor,” an office behind glass panels is immediately on the left side, with a large desk in the middle and chairs on either side. On the back wall is a large flat-screen TV, and there are telephones and laptops in the room. The door is always open.

But it’s not an office for manager Ruben Amorim, CEO Omar Berrada or director of football Jason Wilcox. Instead, this room is reserved for the player care team. It’s the department that works to ensure each squad member has everything they need off the pitch so they can perform on it.

Player care departments aren’t unique to United. Across the Premier League, clubs are investing more to make sure their players have everything they need to perform at their optimum level. At United’s training ground, these services are front and centre for a reason.

The goal? Players leaving their problems at the door, feeling better and heading into training with a clear mind, ready to focus on football.

What is player care?

If the manager’s job is to oversee what happens at the training ground, it’s the responsibility of the player care department to look after the rest. Anything and everything a player might encounter can land on their desk, most of it not football-related.

“It’s based around the person rather than the player,” player care expert Hugo Scheckter told ESPN. “A very vague way of putting it is that it’s everything that affects a player that’s not football or medical. For three or four hours a day, players are at the training ground. Everything outside of that can be covered by player care.

“It could be personal-developmental stuff, giving them the life skills to improve themselves, welfare stuff like signposting to mental health provisions, or operational things like relocations and problem-solving. We’re trying to be that resource where they can remove the stress away from life to focus on football.”

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Scheckter has worked for Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Brentford, and in 2020, he set up the Player Care Group. He has years of experience helping players find houses, pick schools for their children, tax cars and sort match tickets.

Other times, it means dealing with emergencies such as a car accident or home break-in. Occasionally, the problem is more unusual.

“I had one player who asked me to hunt a bird that was scaring his girlfriend. He wanted it shot, and I had to say, ‘We don’t do that in England,'” Scheckter said.

“My solution was to get an ultrasonic bird that basically scared it away, but his first thought was can we [kill it]? Ultimately, they wanted a problem solved, and I can understand that. The bird was tapping on the window all the time, and his girlfriend was scared of birds. So we got a little £10 thing on Amazon to scare it away.

“It can seem a small thing, but then on the other hand, if he’s awake all night or always getting complaints from his girlfriend, it can affect performance. It sounds silly, but it can be quite important as well.”

Man United forward Benjamin Sesko arrives at Carrington for training. Player care reps are the first things players see when they arrive, meaning they can get issues addressed promptly before heading out to practice. Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

‘The canaries in the coal mine’

In the search for marginal gains and a competitive edge, clubs are increasingly taking player care more seriously. Foster and Partners, the London-based architectural firm responsible for the £50m revamp of Manchester United’s Carrington training ground, purposely put the player care office toward the front of the players’ entrance to the building.

It’s a similar story at clubs all over the world.

“The player care team are like the canaries in the coal mine,” one high-level source at a Premier League club told ESPN. “Often, they’re the ones who can spot the first sign of trouble.

“Coaches and medical staff will know everything about a player’s performance, but the player care or player support team know far more about their non-football lives than a manager or coach. And the two things are intertwined. One impacts the other.”

Scheckter adds: “I think it used to be a very reactive service where a player would bring a problem in, and they would try and solve it. Now, I think you’re seeing more and more clubs who are trying to get ahead of those problems, so they don’t even appear at all. Or if they do, that they’re well-managed, and there’s a process in place.”

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Investment in player care varies from club to club. Player care teams can range from one or two employees to five or more. Most Premier League clubs have separate departments for their men’s, women’s and academy sides.

Most of the time, however, the department’s effectiveness depends on how seriously it’s taken by the first-team manager and his staff. Some coaches can be quite dismissive of anything that goes on outside the training ground, but others are keen to take a more holistic approach.

“A lot of time, it’s club culture-dependent,” Scheckter said. “I’ve had managers who are not negative towards it, but kind of apathetic. It depends from manager to manager. With some, you just stay out of the way, and with others, you’re really involved at the top table in management meetings every day. That’s really exciting as well.”

There are clear benefits to including the player care team in performance meetings that include other key heads of department.

“You’ve got the nutritionist there, you’ve got the fitness coaches there, you’ve got the coaching staff there, the manager there. And the conversation can be about a player who has lost three kilos in the last month,” Scheckter said.

“I can be like, ‘Oh well, that’s because his girlfriend is away and he doesn’t cook.’ So next time his girlfriend goes away, we need to make sure he’s getting food delivered or we get a chef in, or whatever it is. The nutritionist in isolation might be thinking he’s unwell or he’s skipping meals. It’s good to have that joined-up approach.

“I’ve gone to managers before and said privately, ‘Look, his mother died a year ago on this day, just so you are aware,’ and they’ll go, ‘OK, thank you. That’s why he was off today in training.'”

With football becoming an increasingly global game, there’s pressure on player care teams to help players new to the country settle quickly. It’s not unusual for departments to be in touch with counterparts at rival clubs, especially if they have players of the same nationality.

“If we’ve got a player from Brazil, we might get in touch with another club local to us if they also have a Brazilian player,” one Premier League source said. “It’s in our interest to do that, share intelligence, and help build a wider network for a player’s family to help them feel settled.”

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In many circumstances, the role of the player care team extends beyond the players.

“The partners, especially at the Premier League level, none of them tend to work or very few of them tend to work, and so you have a situation where they’ve just sat around and so trying to provide a purpose for them and a direction for them is really important,” Scheckter said.

“We see it more and more where the player is really happy, but the partner or the family aren’t, and so we’re seeing clubs invest more and more into family programs.

“It can be hard moving to a new country. We’re definitely seeing that as a bigger issue, where players are happy, partners are not, and then that’s leading to a player either wanting to leave or talking about potentially having to leave, which is a disaster for clubs.”

Whether it’s to take on the role of wellness professional or concierge, the job of the player care team is to keep players happy. But that doesn’t mean clubs want to pamper their stars.

“There’s a balance,” one source told ESPN. “We don’t want players who are detached from everyday life. But we also don’t want players worrying about renewing a passport or a dispute with a landlord because that takes up mental space.

“There’s a growing understanding throughout sport that mental well-being is important to performance. We want to take away the burden of the stresses associated with everyday life as much as we can so players can focus on training and matches.”

‘Make sure the athletes are the best they can be’

Man United’s revamped Carrington training ground ensures that player care is the first resource seen when they arrive for training or meetings. Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

More often than not, the player care team members work in the background. On other occasions, they’re thrust into the spotlight.

After West Ham failed to win for more than two months, new manager Nuno Espirito Santo revealed that the club’s player care department sourced baby pictures of the players to decorate the dressing room to serve as motivation ahead of Newcastle’s visit to the London Stadium. It worked, and West Ham won 3-1.

“It was a surprise for everybody,” Nuno said afterward. “The player care [team] really do things really nice. They did it in a really nice way, the player care. The players didn’t know.

“It’s nice to see when we are young and had dreams. For us, it is important to go back to that feeling of being young and happy and try to enjoy things.”

Scheckter tells a story about a player he encountered at the start of his career in player care who appeared to be fine on the surface but left at the end of the season because his partner hadn’t settled.

There also have been small wins that can make all the difference.

“There was a player who was consistently late for team meetings and he was an African player, and he got dropped from a game,” Scheckter said. “The manager was basically like, ‘He’s just not professional, he’s not focused.’ So, I went and spoke to him, and he was very upset about it.

“I said to him, ‘Why are you late? He said, ‘Well, where I’m from … we don’t have reliable transport, we don’t have reliable timekeeping devices, and meeting time in my culture and my life has always been a suggestion.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, OK, I appreciate that, but in the UK or in England, if you’re not five minutes early, you’re late.

“And so I said, ‘OK, let’s work with you.’ I would go and knock on his door or go get him before everything he had to be at for a couple of weeks, and after those couple of weeks, then he kind of got it and was on time. It’s about working proactively to solve problems and make sure the athletes are the best they can be.”

In the end, the goal is always the same, whether the issue is timekeeping, staying on top of the pressures of the game, or dealing with a bird that won’t stop tapping on a window.

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Nov 15, 2025, 12:46 PM ET

Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin has rejoined the team following his leave of absence to be with his fiancée in Sweden, where she continues to recover from a heart transplant.

Dahlin, 25, returned ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

His fiancée, Carolina Matovac, began feeling sick last summer while she and Dahlin were vacationing in France. She experienced sudden heart failure and received life-saving care en route to the hospital. Matovac had remained in Sweden to recover when Dahlin started the new season with Buffalo before he went back to be with her Nov. 7.

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“She’s an absolute warrior,” Dahlin said Saturday. “… She grinds every day, and she gets better every day.”

Coach Lindy Ruff said Dahlin’s return was a boost to the rest of the Sabres, who went 0-3-0 during his absence and is 0-10-2 without him in the lineup since December.

“Everything went well, so he’s anxious to get back playing,” Ruff said. “Anytime you get your captain back, it’s a jolt for the team, and I think everybody was excited to see him.”

The blueliner is two years into his tenure as Sabres captain and has anchored the defense practically since Buffalo drafted him first overall in 2018. Given Matovac’s health issues, it has been a distracting season for Dahlin, but he has managed nine points in 14 games and carries a heavy workload at over 24 minutes per night.

“She’s inspired me and a lot of people, that’s for sure,” Dahlin said. “… I feel way better now, mentally, and I’m in a good spot, so I’m here to help the team.”

Information from ESPN’s Kristen Shilton was used in this report.

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It has been barely two years since the wrestling world was shocked by the loss of Windham Rotunda, aka WWE’s Bray Wyatt, who suddenly passed away at only 37 years old. The impact of Wyatt’s death is still felt several years later, both from an onscreen perspective as the stable, the Wyatt Sicks, continues to honor Wyatt’s legacy, and out of the ring as well, as fans, family, and friends continue to cope with Wyatt’s loss. And unfortunately for the Rotunda Family, there is more hardship likely on the way.

Taking to X on Tuesday morning, former WWE wrestler Leilani Kai posted a photo of herself hugging Wyatt’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda, from earlier this year. Kai then revealed that Rotunda had been placed in hospice care, though she provided no further details on the matter. Kai said she would treasure the photo she and Rotunda took forever, and asked wrestling fans to keep Rotunda and his family in their prayers.

“We love you Mike,” Kai said to close her post.

It breaks my heart to share that my friend Mike Rotunda has been placed under hospice care. 💔 This photo was from earlier this year — a moment I’ll treasure. Please keep Mike and the Rotunda family in your prayers. We love you, Mike. â¤ï¸ #WrestlingFamily pic.twitter.com/XsgOaVtE0J

— Leilani Kai (@realLeilaniKai) October 28, 2025

Kai appears to be the second person to reveal Rotunda was in hospice, after Rotunda’s brother-in-law, Barry Windham, talked about Rotunda’s health in an interview with Bill Apter hours earlier. Like Kai, Windham didn’t go into further details on what led to Rotunda entering hospice care, other than to call the events a tragedy in the wake of Wyatt’s death.

A 26 year veteran, Rotunda is best known for his success as a tag wrestler, first as a member of the US Express with Windham, again with “Dr. Death” Steve Williams as a member of The Varsity Club, then later with Ted DiBiase in Money Inc. as Irwin R. Schyster, aka I.R.S. Though a minor member, Rotunda was also a member of the legendary nWo stable, joining the group in 1996. Alongside Windham, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2024.

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Ruben Amorim has insisted that he does not care about Arne Slotâ€s apparent criticism of Manchester Unitedâ€s style of play in their 2-1 victory against Liverpool last Sunday.

Liverpoolâ€s head coach cited Unitedâ€s “low block†and “long balls†after Unitedâ€s first win at Anfield since 2016. Slot sought to point out that his comments had been complimentary when speaking on Friday. Speaking himself soon after, Amorim gave his response to the Dutchmanâ€s initial comments. “I donâ€t care what Slot is saying, what people are saying about our team,†he said. “I can watch the game and say we can do better and we need to do better in the future but sometimes you need to adapt to the game. So I donâ€t need anyone to evaluate my team. I can evaluate my team and I am really clear that we should play better with the ball and we are going to try to do that in this game.â€

Bruno Fernandes will make his 300th appearance for United when Brighton visit Old Trafford on Saturday and Amorim was asked who beyond the captain maintains the standards expected at the club. “Harry Maguire. Diogo Dalot tries to do that,†he said. “Luke Shaw can show in some moments by the way he plays, when heâ€s so focused. I think Nous [Mazraoui] has a good impact. Licha [Lisandro Martínez], he is really important in this.â€

Victory over Liverpool means United have finally won two Premier League games in a row under Amorim. “It has to do a lot with attitude,†the Portuguese said when asked how this was achieved. “Iâ€m not saying my players donâ€t want to win or run, but we need to sometimes [when] itâ€s getting harder [in matches] to force ourselves to do the basics. If you look at Brighton and the way they play, every team that pressed a little higher struggled and they won. We need to be prepared – not just against the top teams but against opponents that are [also] really good.â€

Bruno Fernandes holds a commemorative shirt ahead of his 300th appearance for Manchester United. Photograph: Zohaib Alam/MUFC

Fernandes joined United from Sporting for £46.5m in January 2020 and has been one of the few consistently high performers for the club in the intervening years. The 31-year-old considered joining Al-Hilal in the summer after the Saudi Arabian club made a £100m offer for him but decided to remain at Old Trafford after speaking to his family and Amorim. Talking before his landmark game for United, the Portuguese, whose contract expires in June 2028, insisted he will discuss his future again only after next summerâ€s World Cup.

“Iâ€ve seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasnâ€t with me,†said Fernandes. “I havenâ€t spoken with anyone. I could tell you that there are still people talking to me and saying that they will be very eager to have me next year, of course. But from my side, thatâ€s not talked about. Because my agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Because until then, I wonâ€t speak to anyone.â€

Fernandes went on to say that Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who signed for United in the summer, are the type of personalities United require, before going on to to praise their fellow new recruits Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens. “We need big characters because at this club being good players sometimes is not enough because of the pressure,†said the captain. “Cunha has that good arrogance to do the good things. Bryan, the same. Heâ€s not afraid to take the ball, do his play. We brought two players who were aware of the Premier League also. And then we bought a very young goalkeeper [Lammens] and a centre-forward [and] they hit the ground flying [running]. We know Ben will be judged by scoring goals or not. But apart from that, heâ€s been doing great. Heâ€s got his goals already [too].

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“Sometimes I get upset with [Mbeumo] in training because heâ€s like, one touch more, and I say: ‘Bryan, you donâ€t need that. You can one touch and shoot because youâ€re more than able. You did that against us when you were at Brentford. You just have to make it for us now. The shirts have changed, but youâ€re the same player so we need that from you.â€â€

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Kamille may have celebrated a birthday this week, but AEW fans werenâ€t exactly in a party mood. The powerhouse star, who hasnâ€t appeared on AEW television since being written off in November 2024, is still off the radar—and fans made it clear theyâ€re tired of the silence.

AEW took to Twitter to wish Kamille a happy birthday, but instead of cheers, the replies were filled with frustration. One fan asked the obvious question, “But where is she? We need her back on tv AEW.â€

Another comment took a jab at AEW President Tony Khanâ€s track record of underutilized talent, “On the TK milk carton list.†Someone else even questioned if Kamille is still employed, “She still works here?â€

But the post that really caught fire came from a fan accusing AEW of hypocrisy for suddenly acknowledging her birthday while keeping her off TV for nearly her entire run.

“You people are hilarious doing this after keeping her off TV her entire run. 😂 How bout letting her out of Khantanamo Bay & actually using her on TV as a Birthday Gift?â€

While Kamille has been busy working on the rebooted American Gladiators, her in-ring absence has clearly left fans restless. With no word on her AEW status, fans are demanding answers—and more importantly, a return.

AEW may have intended the birthday post as goodwill, but fans werenâ€t buying it. Instead, theyâ€ve sent a loud and clear message: they want Kamille back on television—and they want it now.

Do you think AEW is wasting Kamilleâ€s potential, or is there a bigger plan at play? Sound off in the comments below.

October 24, 2025 11:57 am

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Striker Erling Haaland will not travel to West Yorkshire after being taken off at Arsenal in the 76th minute because of a back issue, but Guardiola is hopeful the Norwegian “will be fine” for the Premier League game against Burnley on Saturday.

Abdukodir Khusanov went off at half-time at Emirates Stadium, while Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush are out and it remains to be seen whether Rayan Ait-Nouri can recover in time from a knock.

City were disappointing last season, failing to win a major trophy, and suffered back-to-back defeats before the international break, but have responded by going three games unbeaten in all competitions.

“Since I started as a manager from the second team at Barcelona until now, I always asked for one thing – I want the players to give everything to the pitch,” Guardiola said.

“Last season we didn’t do it in some moments and this season, especially from the USA and since United, we started to recover many things that defined our team for many years.

“When this happened [conceding an equaliser at Arsenal], I could not care less about the fact that we could do better. Yes, we could make better decisions – we will do it.”

Midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has spent the past two seasons on loan at West Ham and Ipswich, is unlikely to feature at Huddersfield because Guardiola said he is in London “to become a father for a second time”.

Guardiola’s tactics were questioned on Sunday after he reverted to a 5-5-0 formation in an attempt to claim victory, while City’s 33% possession was the lowest he has overseen in 601 top-flight matches as a manager.

“I’m really proud, satisfied,” he said.

“We recovered many things that we missed last season. We had an incredible spirit. Of course we cannot sustain all season to play in the way we played, and we don’t want to, but I give incredible power to the opponents.

“Arsenal, for most of their games, are able to do that to other opponents, and I want to learn to celebrate when we draw a game in the way that we did away against Arsenal, who are a big contender and reached the semi-final of the Champions League. I want to celebrate that point.”

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