New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, shared heartbreaking news on Tuesday afternoon: their newborn son, Peter James, died shortly after birth.
The couple said their baby boy had been diagnosed during a routine 20-week anatomy scan with anencephaly, a severe and incurable neural tube defect that prevents parts of the brain and skull from developing correctly. Doctors told them their child would not survive outside the womb.
Even with that grim diagnosis, Anna carried Peter James to term. He was born on September 11 and passed away shortly after.
“Our angel, Peter James Raridon, was born on September 11th,” a post on Anna’s Instagram account reads. “When Eli and I went in for our 20th-week anatomy scan, excited to see our sweet baby boy, our hearts were forever changed.”
“Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb. While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past nine months before he was called back to Heaven.”
Anna and Eli were married in May of 2025, and Peter was their first child.
On the field, Raridon has already given the Patriots a few reasons to notice him. Selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, he has appeared in two games this season.
In the opener against the Seattle Seahawks, he caught his first NFL pass and turned it into a two-yard touchdown. He followed that with a 30-yard reception in a week two win over Pittsburgh before a nagging thigh injury kept him out of the week three game.
Through it all, the rookie is dealing with an overwhelming loss while continuing to receive support from the community.
In Other News...
Indiana Just Landed The Kind Of Recruit That Changes Everything
Monshun Sales has given Indiana football a rare kind of recruiting win, the sort that resonates far beyond one signing day. The five-star wide receiver from Indianapolis committed to the Hoosiers, becoming the highest-rated football recruit in program history, and he chose Indiana over several major programs after building a strong connection with Curt Cignetti and the staff.
For a program trying to keep climbing, Sales brings more than local star power. His size, athleticism and ceiling give Indiana an impact offensive weapon, while his decision also sends a message on the recruiting trail that the Hoosiers can now compete for elite talent in a way that once felt out of reach. The next question is how far this kind of addition can shift the program's trajectory once he gets on campus. [Read more 🡒]
IU Students Now Face A Weekend Dining Tradeoff
Indiana University has adjusted its weekend dining schedule, trimming hours at Forest, McNutt and Wright by closing those halls from 2-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays while leaving weekday service unchanged. The change came after student feedback and staff needs were factored in, with the university saying the pause gives dining teams time to clean, reset and prepare for the next meal period.
Students may notice the tradeoff most during the middle of the weekend day, when the gap can make meal planning a little less convenient. At the same time, IU is trying to soften the impact by adding a weekend brunch and expanding the Sunday dinner menu, a tweak that staff say should help improve service quality and ease workload even as some students adjust to the new routine. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Frontcourt Fix May Come Down To One Newcomer
Indiana spent the offseason searching for help up front, and Darian DeVries answered by bringing in a pair of portal additions who should change the look of the frontcourt right away. Aiden Sherrell arrived from Alabama, while Samet Yigitoglu came over from SMU after putting together a productive season there, giving the Hoosiers a much-needed mix of size and interior presence as they try to fix problems that showed up on the glass and around the rim.
Yigitoglu brings a rsum that suggests he can help immediately, with his work at SMU showing he can score, rebound and protect the basket at a steady level. He has already talked about being ready for the Big Ten challenge, and for Indiana that readiness matters because the upcoming competition will ask the Hoosiers to hold up against bigger, more physical lineups than they saw a year ago. [Read more 🡒]