Browsing: Program

Inaugural WWE ID Women’s Champion gone from program

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In some surprise news, inaugural WWE ID Women’s Champion Kylie Rae is leaving the WWE ID program after her contract wasn’t renewed.

The longtime indie veteran took to social media Thursday to both announce the news and show gratitude for her 11 months in the program.

“Today I share that my time with WWE ID is coming to an end as I was informed my contract will not be renewed. Iâ€m incredibly grateful for the opportunities, memories, and people I met along the way,” she wrote.

Rae, who joined the program 11 months ago, revealed three weeks ago that she is pregnant for the second time with independent wrestler Isaias Velazquez. She previously gave birth back in October 2023. The title that Rae won just two months ago was then vacated with no announcement as to crowning a new champion.

Earlier on Thursday, Zayda Steel also announced she was also leaving the program. However, she chose to withdraw herself. Steel was part of the match where Rae won the title along with Zara Zakher.

Three male wrestlers were also released in August.

The program was created to provides indie talent with financial support and other development opportunities while creating a potential pathway to NXT if WWE decides to sign them to a full developmental contract.

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Tennis

New program supports players accused of doping, match-fixing

Tennis players involved in doping or match-fixing investigations are now eligible for free legal help, confidential counseling or money to test products they have taken that might have led to a positive drug test, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Wednesday.

The trial program begins immediately and will be reviewed after next year.

A player can receive up to $5,000 for a lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency to check a medicine or supplement for contamination or the same amount for help identifying possible sources of contaminated meat — a frequent explanation for failed doping tests in sports.

Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service that runs tribunals for anti-doping cases in tennis, is extending its free legal support in such cases to when a player first tests positive for a banned substance. Until now, this service was available only after a player was charged.

And Sporting Chance, an organization that works with athletes on their mental health, will provide six sessions of well-being support for people being investigated for anti-corruption or anti-doping violations.

“We recognize the process can come at both a financial and emotional cost,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said.

“No player picks up a tennis racket as a child with any motivation other than playing the game,” she added. “Individuals find themselves in these situations for a lot of reasons, and so no matter what those reasons are, and where the case ends up, they also deserve someone to talk to.”

The ITIA was involved in two particularly high-profile doping cases in tennis that began last year and ultimately resulted short bans for players who have been ranked No. 1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

Sinner reached a deal with WADA to accept a three-month suspension that ended in April after that group appealed an exoneration from the ITIA based on what it determined was an accidental contamination by an anabolic steroid.

Swiatek agreed to a one-month ban that was partly served during last offseason after she tested positive from what she said was a contaminated non-prescription medication.

Some tennis players, notably 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, have been critical of the way cases were handled, saying there was a sense of favoritism toward the sport’s biggest stars.

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Basketball

Ben Gordon completes probation program; charges dropped

Sep 22, 2025, 07:08 PM ET

STAMFORD, Conn. — Multiple criminal charges were dropped Monday against former NBA guard Ben Gordon, who was arrested in 2023 after authorities say he began behaving erratically in a Connecticut juice shop.

Gordon, who helped lead UConn to the NCAA national championship in 2004, completed a probation program approved last year by a state judge. The weapons and threatening charges the basketball star had faced will now be erased from his record.

His lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said Gordon has been dedicated to making progress with his mental health issues since the arrest. Crosland credited the former player with teaching him about how to balance daily stresses of life.

“Mental health is really important and the court saw his commitment to doing the right thing in life and that is why they sealed his record and dismissed all of his charges,” he said in a statement. “I am blessed to have been his lawyer.”

Gordon was arrested at a Stamford juice shop on his 40th birthday, just hours after UConn won its fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship. Police said several 911 callers reported that Gordon was acting aggressively and bizarrely, and he continued to act erratically when officers arrived. Police forced him to the ground and handcuffed him outside the store.

Gordon has talked and written about his bipolar disorder and depression, which he said have played roles in several arrests over the years.

The third overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Gordon played 11 seasons in the league. As a rookie for the Bulls, he won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. After five seasons in Chicago, he went on to play for Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando.

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