Vikki Zimmer, the wife of Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, died Thursday in Cincinnati.
Details of her death were not available. The Zimmers were married for 27 years and had three children.
“We are stunned and saddened to learn of Vikki’s passing,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement Friday. “She was a warm and popular person in the Bengals family, and our immense respect and affection for Mike makes this especially hard. Our hearts are out to Mike and his family.”
It is uncertain whether Mike Zimmer will coach this weekend when the Bengals play the Ravens in Baltimore.
Zimmer is in his second season as Bengals defensive coordinator. He served in the same capacity for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, and with the Dallas Cowboys for the seven seasons prior to that. Zimmer was on Dallas’ staff between 1994 and 2006.
“Mike is part of our Bengals family, and we’ll support him in every way we can,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “We will dearly miss Vikki. She was a friend to all of us, and a big supporter of Mike’s players. Her thoughtfulness to them in so many ways will also be
Gareth Southgate has not ruled out remaining England manager through to the 2026 World Cup, saying Thursday that he would evaluate his future following this summer’s European Championship.
Southgate, who has been in charge of England since 2016, has a contract with the English Football Association until December of this year.
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“There’s a fair chance half the coaches won’t be here after the Euros. That’s international football,” Southgate said following Thursday’s draw for the UEFA Nations League in Paris.
“You’ve got to see how the summer goes — it’s as simple as that. I know what we’re capable of achieving in the summer, I know what my own benchmark of success would be, after that I’m not really thinking about anything else.
“We’ve got to deliver a performance and you’ve got to make the best decisions for everybody. I won’t be in a position to make that decision before the tournament.”
The 53-year-old is England’s most successful manager since the 1966 World Cup-winning Sir Alf Ramsey, having guided his country to the final of Euro 2020 and the semifinals of the 2018
However, he considered stepping down following England’s defeat to France in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup before opting to remain at the helm through Euro 2024.
England will face Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia in Group C of the Euros this summer.
Thursday’s Nations League draw placed England in a group with the Republic of Ireland, Finland and Greece. This is England’s first appearance in League B following their relegation from the top tier in the competition’s last edition.
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