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Bill Belichick fires back at Patriots coach Jerod Mayo calling players 'soft': 'I'm kinda hurt'

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Bill Belichick fires back at Patriots coach Jerod Mayo calling players 'soft': 'I'm kinda hurt'

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New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo chose to be blunt about his team being in the middle of the pack in run defense this year following the team’s sixth straight loss, this time to the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars in London. 

Mayo called out his run defense as “soft” after watching yet another running back have his way on the ground, with Jaguars backup Tank Bigsby, filling in for the injured Travis Etienne Jr., rushing for 118 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns.

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There were times during the early-window game that the Jaguars simply handed the ball off instead of calling up passes for Trevor Lawrence.

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium.  (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)

Patriots legendary head coach Bill Belichick had many of the same guys on defense in his last season with New England in 2023, and they were the best run defense in the league last year. 

So, during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, Belichick didn’t mince his words either when reacting to Mayo’s “soft” comment. 

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“I’m kinda hurt for those guys because to call them soft — they’re not soft. They were the best team in the league last year against the run,” Belichick said. “Those guys went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because that’s a tough group.”

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO CALLS TEAM ‘SOFT’ AMID SIX-GAME LOSING STREAK

Mayo would later clarify that he didn’t believe the team was soft, but he felt they played that way on Sunday, and he said as such after the game.

“We’re a soft football team across the board,” Mayo said Sunday. “We talk about what makes a tough football team. That’s being able to run the ball, being able to stop the run, and that’s being able to stop kicks, and we did none of those today.”

Head coach of Jerod Mayo the New England Patriots looks on during the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field on August 25, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

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For the Patriots’ own run game, the Jaguars held them to just 38 total yards on 15 carries, which is never a recipe for success no matter the team. 

“Last night, after the game, I felt like [we] just went out there and played soft. We’re playing soft at the moment,” Mayo said on Monday. “When I said playing soft, that means stopping the run, being able to run the ball and covering kicks, which we weren’t able to do. Now, saying that, do I think we have the guys that can turn this ship around? One hundred percent. But that comes through hard work, hard work comes on the practice field and going out there and getting better each and every day.”

The Patriots are clearly a rebuilding team, especially considering Belichick’s departure after a 4-13 finish last year and needing to continue bolstering the roster. 

They did so with a new quarterback at No. 3 overall, as the Patriots took Drake Maye out of UNC. Maye has started the past two weeks after Jacoby Brissett began the year as starter. 

New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media at Gillette Stadium about his departure. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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But, since shocking the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 1, the Patriots have been searching for another win each week.  

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Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329

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Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329

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Nearly five years after his last walk to the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited UFC return Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.

McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a head kick moments later. He appeared to slip on both tries. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet.

Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after trying to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle underneath him.

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Conor McGregor of Ireland participates in the walkout before facing Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

The official inside the Octagon waved off the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.

During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a first-round replay that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not to the same leg McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.

The loss extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming by first-round TKO against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.

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McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.

Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.

“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.

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“‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”

Conor McGregor jumps into the air for a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)

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Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Lakers’ Arthur Kaluma erupts for 34 points in breakout Summer League performance

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Lakers’ Arthur Kaluma erupts for 34 points in breakout Summer League performance

The door opened for Arthur Kaluma to show his worth for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League on Saturday night.

He did so in a big way.

Kaluma had 34 points and five rebounds during the Lakers’ 91-70 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center.

He was 11 for 16 from the field and six for 10 from three-point range.

With Lakers rookie guard Cameron Carr unable to play because of a right thumb contusion, Kaluma took over the scoring role. Carr, the 24th pick in the NBA draft, is averaging 17 points per game.

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“Cam doesn’t play tonight, so he gets a little bit more minutes, gets a couple more touches,” said Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott about Kaluma. “But he’s done a really good job of making the most of it when he doesn’t have actions run for him. So the way that he’s been able to stay ready, find windows for himself has kept him in a rhythm. So, on a night like tonight, when we can run some actions for him, he knocks them down and just plays out of his mind. It was great.”

Kaluma said he was “a little nervous” but his three-point shooting said otherwise.

“When [teammate] Jon Elmore came down and he pitched it back to me for a three … I just knew when it came off my hand it was cash,” Kaluma said. “So I said, ‘Yeah, I’m hot.’ It went on from there.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Kaluma lined up a three-pointer, setting his feet and scoring from 29 feet out. He flashed three fingers and smiled. His teammates on the bench stood and cheered, as did the fans.

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“We have such a great group of guys this year at Summer League and going through this it’s hard to get that camaraderie with a group,” Kaluma said. “But I feel like everybody wants to see everybody succeed and I felt that tonight. I’m not going to lie to you. They tell me to shoot the ball. I passed up a couple of shots and they were mad at me the other day.”

Kaluma played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season. He averaged 14.6 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and shot 55% from the field, 37% from three-point range.

“The G can get grimey, you know what I’m saying? It’s a time where everybody is trying to fight for a position and there is a certain hunger that you have to have in order to be successful in the G,” Kaluma said. “And I feel like that drive that I had my first year in it pushed me into this summer to really get better and work on my game and come here and have the opportunity to perform.”

Kaluma wasn’t alone in helping the Lakers improve to 2-0 in Summer League play.

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Adou Thiero ran the court, took a lob pass from Chris Mañon and threw down a two-handed dunk. He had another solid outing with 15 points and four rebounds. He shot just four for 12 from the field, but was a plus-15.

But the night belonged to Kaluma.

“I pride myself on the defensive end,” he said. “I know I got hot offensively, but the shot was just falling today, you know what I’m saying? My game is three-and-D. I lock-up on defense and I know I can hit open shots. I just got hot today and I’m not going to try to let it get to my head.”

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Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship

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Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship

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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.

Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.

Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.

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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.

“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”

If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.

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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.

The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.

“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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