Sports
Bill Belichick’s son explains why he stayed with Patriots despite father, brother leaving
The regime change for the New England Patriots isn’t entirely without the name Belichick.
Bill Belichick, the legendary Patriots head coach, parted ways with the team after over two decades of success, while his son, Steve, shipped out west to become the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington.
But there was one Belichick who stayed behind: Brian, who serves as safeties coach for New England under new head coach Jerod Mayo.
New England Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick with New England Patriots defensive back Quandre Mosely (34) in warm up before a game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins on January 1, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Brian has been around the Patriots since 2017, but when it came time for his father and brother to leave, he decided he wanted to stay on Mayo’s staff. Mayo, who has been working with Brian well before he was promoted to head coach, obliged.
“I enjoy very much coaching here, living here, working with our players every day,” Brian said in his first comments since the departure of his family, via CBS Sports. “I have the opportunity to coach a position in the National Football League. I mean, how much more can you ask for than that?”
Of course, Brian staying on can be an awkward situation in Foxborough, but Mayo said it’s quite the opposite.
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“He’s been fantastic.” Mayo said. “There are other guys in the organization that it has been a little awkward for him, and those guys have handled it the right way. Look, Brian loves football, and he loves New England. I think I talked about this a little bit earlier: a guy, new baby, loves it up here and wants to stay. We’re happy that he’s here.”
Brian welcomed a baby girl into his family while the transition went from his father to Mayo. He had to think about his life both professionally and personally, and reporters asked if his father had any say or advice during the whole situation.
“I think in a way, and this is getting a little personal about our family dynamics, but in a way, I think it was good for us to have some separation from being in a football building every day seeing each other,” Brian explained about his relationship with his father. “Whereas now, we’re not just connected by football. Not that it was that way before, but we talk about other things because we’re in different places, not in the same place every day. There’s a lot of talk about football-wise, so it was hard to not get caught up in that when you saw each other at work every day.”
Adrian Phillips #21 of the New England Patriots walks with Safety Coach Brian Belichick during practice at Gillette Stadium on September 15, 2022 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Brian has enjoyed what Mayo has brought to the table with the change of guard.
“I think we have a very well-coached team. I think that starts with Jerod, and we’re all following his example, and so we’re all trying to live up to a very high expectation that obviously was built here through the years and my dad was the head coach. … Everyone is trying to live up to that every day.”
Brian has a fun safeties room to work with, as the Patriots extended standout Kyle Duggar and the Swiss Army knife that is Jabrill Peppers remains in New England as well.
Meanwhile, Bill is heading down a different path after not getting a head coaching gig elsewhere this offseason. He’s already begun his new media personality role, covering the NFL Draft alongside ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” crew, where he was lauded for his Draft Day stories. He’s also joining the ManningCast during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” alternate broadcast alongside Peyton and Eli Manning.
New England Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick looks on before the NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts on December 18, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Bill was also a surprise guest during Netflix’s roast of Tom Brady, and many loved that he was able to play into the relationship he had with the legendary quarterback during their reign in New England together.
It may be new beginnings for others in the family, but Brian is content right where he’s at.
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The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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