Sports
Bill Belichick focused on UNC, not worried about Patriots after his replacement got fired after 1 season
Bill Belichick knows his former pupil and New England Patriots successor Jerod Mayo was fired after just one season.
But what’s happening with the team he won six Super Bowls with is the least of his worries at the moment.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick, who was in suit and tie on a recruiting trip for his new gig as the North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach, said the Patriots never gave him a ring as they decided to fire Mayo after going 4-13 this year.
New North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick speaks to the crowd at Dean Smith Center during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game between La Salle and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
“The Patriots’ situation, honestly, I don’t have too much of a comment on that,” Belichick told McAfee and his crew. “Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Robyn Glaser, they’re the decision makers there.
“Mayo was hand-picked by Robert, but in the end, the decision-making is something they’d have to comment on.
“I really don’t know from the outside looking in. They haven’t called me and asked, so I don’t know.”
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Of course, McAfee had to ask Belichick after his replacement being one-and-done in Foxborough, but a new journey for the legendary coach is well under way as he continues to try and build his first roster at Chapel Hill.
As Belichick mentioned, Kraft hand-picked Mayo, who was already on Belichick’s staff, as the Patriots’ next head coach this past offseason. It came after the team and Belichick mutually parted ways following a 4-13 season, ending a 24-year relationship that brought about arguably football’s best head coach of all-time.
Robert Kraft speaks during the Historic Roots of Black and Jewish Solidarity at 92NY on March 07, 2024 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008-15, winning a Super Bowl with the franchise during the 2014 campaign. Belichick eventually brought him onto his coaching staff in 2019 as a linebackers coach before Kraft made his choice last year.
But Kraft shouldered the blame on Monday when addressing reporters about Mayo, saying that the “whole situation is on me” in regard to his decision to let Mayo go after only one season.
“I feel terrible for Jerod, because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft added. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job.
“In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”
North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
While the Patriots embark on yet another head coach search, in which another Belichick former player in Mike Vrabel is expected to be top of mind as Mayo’s replacement, the 72-year-old coach’s inaugural season with the Tar Heels has a large spotlight on it, given this will be Belichick’s first-ever college gig in his illustrious career.
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Sports
Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU
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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.
Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.
When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.
Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”
Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.
“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”
Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
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Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.
“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.
Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.
Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.
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Sports
Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games
Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.
The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.
One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.
He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.
As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Hawks trade 4-time All-Star Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal: reports
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.
The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.
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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.
There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.
It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.
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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.
Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.
Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.
Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.
Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.
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