Bochum stays bottom of the Bundesliga despite draw as rivals all win

BERLIN (AP) — Bochum remained bottom of the Bundesliga on Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Union Berlin that brought relegation a step closer as its rivals all won.

Matus Bero canceled Benedict Hollerbach’s first-half strike for Union when he equalized on the rebound after Frederik Rönnow saved his penalty.

But it wasn’t enough to lift Bochum off the bottom, after relegation rivals Holstein Kiel and Heidenheim both won their 31st-round games.

With three rounds remaining, Bochum had 21 points, below Kiel on 22 and Heidenheim on 25. Hoffenheim was the closest team in safety on 30 points.

Bochum next plays Heidenheim in a decisive game for both on Friday.

The bottom two face automatic relegation to the second division, while the team that finishes third from bottom plays the third-place finisher in the second division in a two-leg playoff to determine which club plays in the Bundesliga next season.

Union had already secured its Bundesliga survival for another season.

The only concern from the Köpenick-based team’s point of view was Diego Leite. The Portuguese defender had to be stretchered off the field after lengthy on-field treatment for apparent breathing problems after he was struck in the larynx by a shot from Bero.

Werder Bremen's four-game winning run was ended with a 0-0 draw at home to St. Pauli in the late match.

Bremen stayed eighth, while St. Pauli moved a point above Hoffenheim.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Werder's head coach Ole Werner gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and FC St. Pauli in Bremen, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Amos Pieper, right, and Pauli's Noah Weisshaupt, left, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and FC St. Pauli in Bremen, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Oliver Burke, left, and Pauli's Hauke Wahl, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and FC St. Pauli in Bremen, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Bochum's head coach Dieter Hecking, left, comforts Bochum's Tom Krauß, right, after the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin's Diogo Leite receives medical treatment during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin's head coach Steffen Baumgart arrives for the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin's players celebrate the opening goal scored by Benedict Hollerbach, right, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin's Tom Rothe, left, and Diogo Leite, center, challenge for the ball with Bochum's Myron Boadu, right, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin head coach Steffen Baumgart points during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Bochum's head coach Dieter Hecking during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Bochum's Matus Bero, left, and Berlin's Leopold Querfeld, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

Berlin's Rani Khedira, left, and Bochum's Cristian Gamboa, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Bochum and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa 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)