DeVonta Smith of the Eagles visits Spain as NFL ambassador ahead of 2025 game in Madrid

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — DeVonta Smith enjoyed his first international game experience last September, when the Philadelphia Eagles opened what became a Super Bowl championship season by beating the Green Bay Packers in Brazil in the NFL's first game in South America.

The fifth-year wide receiver is looking forward to the next one. With the NFL now able to schedule up to eight out-of-country games each season, there's a good chance that Smith will get another opportunity during his career.

The league's regular-season venue list includes Spain for the first time this year, with the Miami Dolphins giving up a home game to play in Madrid against an opponent to be announced on Tuesday.

Smith was doing some football ambassador work on a recent visit to Barcelona, where he watched his first soccer match — the latest edition of the famed El Clasico rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He said he's confident the NFL game will catch on in Spain as it has elsewhere.

“It's just a different culture over here, so a lot of people may not exactly know what's going on," Smith said. “Just getting over here to showcase the talent so they can know more about the sport.”

The Eagles, who will host the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 kickoff game on Sept. 4, will likely not be among the international participants this season for the seven games played out of the U.S. Their only 2025 opponent slated as the home team for an international game is the Los Angeles Chargers, who will play in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where the league is unlikely to send the Eagles for a second straight year.

The Dolphins are the home team for the game in Madrid. Others on the docket this season are Berlin (Indianapolis Colts), Dublin (Pittsburgh Steelers) and three games in London (Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets).

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Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith holds the ball as he poses for a photo ahead of an interview with the Associated Press in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith poses for a photo ahead of an interview with the Associated Press in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith poses for a photo ahead of an interview with the Associated Press in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith holds the ball as he poses for a photo ahead of an interview with the Associated Press in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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)