A record crowd of 275,000 fans at the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit once again put the spotlight on the popularity of the event, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the Draft has exceeded even internal expectations. He said, “I’d be kidding you if I thought it was going to be as big as it is. The reality is we thought we could be bigger than we were in Radio City. But it was a real risk to do it because it was really popular, you’re in the (top) media market. We had a great event going there.”

Green Bay is set to host the 2025 Draft, but no location has been named for subsequent years. Goodell said, “There’s almost as much demand for the Draft as there is for the Super Bowl. There are so many cities that can’t host the Super Bowl, but they can host the Draft. It’s getting to the point now where the Draft is -- it’s not in the same league, but it’s pretty darn close” (“The Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN, 4/26).

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is open to expanding the regular season to 18 games and possibly moving the Super Bowl to the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend. He said he was “good” with the current 17-game schedule, but he added, “I’m not a fan of the preseason. I don’t think we need three preseason games. ... I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season (game) any day. That’s just picking quality. If we got to 18-and-2, that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

Moving to an 18-game schedule could come along with a second bye week, pushing the Super Bowl one week deeper into February. Goodell said, “That ends up on Presidents’ Day weekend, which is a three-day weekend, which makes it Sunday night and you have Monday off” (“The Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN, 4/26).

Sales of newly selected Bears QB Caleb Williams' merchandise, "including jerseys and other apparel," broke Fanatics' record for "draft night sales in any sport" last night. As of this morning, the "only version of Williams' new duds" still available was the alternate orange jersey, "and exclusively in size 2XL" -- with his navy jersey being "available only in youth sizes." The record was previously set just 10 days earlier by Fever G Caitlin Clark when her No. 22 jersey "sold out in a matter of hours" (ESPN.com, 4/26).

The NFL is expanding its mandate for the use of Guardian Caps in contact practices after positive findings from its first two years implementing the soft-shell helmet covers across several position groups.

Beginning with the 2024-25 season, wide receivers and defensive backs will be required to don Guardian Caps in contact practices, and there will be an option for players to wear them in games if desired. The caps were already required to be worn in contact practices by offensive/defensive linemen, linebackers, tight ends, running backs and fullbacks. Quarterbacks, kickers and punters will also have the option to wear them.

Data from the 2022 season, the first in which the NFL required the Guardian Caps in preseason practices, showed a 50% reduction in concussions within the position groups required to wear the covers compared against a three-year average of 2018, 2019 and 2021, according to the league (which excluded what it calls an “anomalous” 2020). The mandate was expanded to regular season contact practices in 2023, a year in which training camp concussions hit a seven-year low. The NFL also found that if one player was wearing a Guardian Cap at the time of a hit, the cover absorbed at least 10% of the force, while two players wearing the covers reduced impact by at least 20%.

The Flames have signed an 11-year extension with Sportsnet to continue as the team’s exclusive regional broadcast partner in a deal that runs through to 2035. Sportsnet has been home to Flames' regional broadcasts since 1998 and "those in the C of Red won’t be switching channels anytime soon." Sportsnet is also the national broadcast rights partner of the NHL in Canada, allowing Flames fans to watch on TV and via live stream on Sportsnet+ (CALGARY HERALD, 4/26).

MLB, in collaboration with Virtual Dining Concepts, today officially launched Ballpark Bites presented by Mastercard, a new ballpark-inspired menu available on food delivery apps across the U.S. Ballpark Bites can be ordered in nearly 400 locations around the country on food delivery service apps including Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats and MLB.com/BallparkBites (MLB).

Premier League CEO Richard Masters said today that Manchester City "will learn their fate" over the 115 charges they face for allegedly breaking Premier League rules "in the near future." Masters had previously confirmed a date for that hearing had been set "but refused to reveal when that would be" (London TELEGRAPH, 4/26).

Dan Ashworth is "ready to take Newcastle United to arbitration to help speed up his move" to Manchester United. Ashworth has been "on gardening leave" since informing the club in February that he wanted to leave his position as Sporting Dir "to take up a similar role" at ManU. Newcastle wants a compensation payment of $18.7M (London TIMES, 4/26).

The Paris Olympics flame was formally handed to French organizers today in the stadium where the first modern Games were held in Athens in 1896. Greek water polo player Ioannis Fountoulis used the flame to light a cauldron at the Panathenaic Stadium. From there, it was delivered to Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet (AP, 4/26).

Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams broke the Fanatics record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in any sport, beating the previous record set last week by Caitlin Clark.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2024

The Call ☎️ pic.twitter.com/uSjbtSWHP0

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 26, 2024

'LET THE COACH AND GM PICK' 🏈: Surveillance footage captured the moment @Panthers owner David Tepper walked into a Charlotte restaurant after a sign was put up prior to the NFL Draft.

Full story: https://t.co/tYPhlekttU pic.twitter.com/tc0eihPAkT

— WBTV News (@WBTV_News) April 26, 2024

Ohio State's 2021 roster was absolutely stacked. 🔥

(via @OhioStateFB) pic.twitter.com/nONCToTZNb

— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2024

This day in 2011 was the last time the Sabres played in a playoff game. Lindy Ruff was behind the bench.

Can he bring the Sabres back to the postseason? pic.twitter.com/BSGbhStcfw

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 26, 2024

The Today Show profiled San Diego Wave F María Sánchez, who recently became the first player to sign a $1.5M contract in the NWSL.

$28.66M -- Liberty Media President & CEO Greg Maffei’s 2023 compensation package amounted to $28.66M, compared with $22.36M in 2022. He earned $21.58M in 2021 (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/26).