ROME (AP) — Roma’s attempt at returning to the Champions League took a hit with the announcement on Thursday that Paulo Dybala will undergo left thigh surgery — ruling the Argentina playmaker out for the rest of the season.
Dybala was injured during a 1-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday.
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Roma's Paulo Dybala lies on the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala leaves the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala lies on the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
“Paulo Dybala will undergo surgery in the coming days following an injury to his left semitendinosus tendon,” Roma said. “The player and the club have mutually agreed that this is the best course of action for an optimal recovery.”
Roma has surged up to seventh place with a 13-match unbeaten run under Claudio Ranieri in Serie A and has won six straight in the Italian league. The Giallorossi are four points behind fourth-placed Bologna and the final Champions League spot.
Roma has not played in the Champions League since 2018-19.
Roma was eliminated from the Europa League by Athletic Bilbao last week.
The often-injured Dybala has six goals in 24 appearances this season. He has not reached 30 appearances in a Serie A season since 2019-20, when he played in 33 games for Juventus.
Dybala was left off of Argentina’s squad for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil because of his injury.
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Roma's Paulo Dybala lies on the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala leaves the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala lies on the pitch during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's Paulo Dybala during the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Cagliari at Rome's Olympic stadium, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.
“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.
"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.
Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.
Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.
After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.
His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.
“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”
Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
