ESPN has pulled back a story that linked former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. to a murder investigation in the Dominican Republic, after Pennel and his representatives denied the allegations and provided documentation supporting his account.
The outlet had originally reported that Pennel knew the woman who was killed and that she was found dead on a property he once owned. But that version of events has now been removed, and ESPN replaced it with a correction acknowledging errors in the piece.
“On June 18, 2026, ESPN published a story about Michael Pennel Jr. and an investigation into the death of a woman in the Dominican Republic who disappeared on September 5, 2021. ESPN has determined the story contained errors and has removed it. Since the publication of the story, Pennel’s representatives have provided ESPN with documentation, including travel and financial records, supporting Pennel’s statements to ESPN that he was not in the Dominican Republic at the time the woman disappeared.”
Pennel’s attorney also issued a statement that pushed back hard on the original report:
“Mr. Pennel had nothing to do with the death or disappearance of Ms.
Roche and was never a suspect or person of interest in that investigation. He did not know her.
“Mr. Pennel’s personal records including his passport and other travel documents, banking records and photographs along with their geotracking locations confirm Mike was not in the Dominican Republic in September, 2021 at the time of Ms.
Roche’s disappearance, or in the weeks before or after it. Mike was in Denver, Colorado being treated for a sports injury at the time and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on September 15, 2021.”
Pennel’s NFL path started in Green Bay in 2014, when he joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent. His stint there was rocky, with multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy before the team released him in 2017.
He later won two Super Bowl titles with the Kansas City Chiefs and most recently played in the NFL last year for the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. Pennel is now a free agent.
In Other News...
Micah Parsons Back In Dallas Will Stir Up Packers Fans
Micah Parsons turned up at AT&T Stadium in Dallas over the weekend for the FIFA World Cup game between Ivory Coast and Norway, and the sight of him back in the building where he made his name is bound to stir something among Packers fans. Parsons, who wore a black soccer jersey, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Cowboys before being traded to Green Bay last year, a move that still carries plenty of weight whenever he surfaces in Dallas.
The backdrop makes the moment even more interesting for Packers supporters, because Parsons arrived in Green Bay after a contract dispute with Jerry Jones and immediately delivered the kind of impact the team hoped for. His first season in green and gold was a strong one before it was cut short by a season-ending injury, so every public appearance tied to his old NFL home tends to invite the same question from both fan bases: what comes next for one of the leagues most watched stars? [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rookie Is Creating A Training Camp Problem Fans Will Love
Training camp is about to bring a little extra heat to the Packers offensive line, and rookie Jagar Burton is part of the reason why. The fifth-round pick has put together a promising offseason, enough to draw positive attention from Matt LaFleur and put himself squarely into the mix as Green Bay sorts out who fits where up front.
Sean Rhyans new contract gives the Packers a familiar option, but it does not guarantee anything once camp starts, especially with other interior candidates still under evaluation. Anthony Belton is also in the conversation, which means this may turn into one of those summer battles the coaching staff likes and the fan base follows closely, because a rookie forcing his way into the picture would be exactly the kind of development that changes the tone of camp. [Read more 🡒]