Monthly Archives

May 2021

Maple Leafs, Canadiens players react to John Tavares hit: 'I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it'
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Maple Leafs, Canadiens players react to John Tavares hit: ‘I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it’

Scary incident occurred in first period of their Stanley Cup playoffs matchup

Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry opened up about the hit that knocked Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares out of Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs matchup on Thursday night.

With less than 10 minutes to go in the first period, Tavares fell to the ice after he was hit by the Canadiens’ Ben Chiarot at the blue line. As he was falling, Perry’s knee made contact with Tavares’ head while Perry was attempting to exit the zone, and Tavares’ head snapped back and he laid face-down on the ice.

Tavares was stretchered off the ice.

“He got hit and I was coming out of the zone,” Perry said, via NHL.com. “He fell and I tried to jump over him and unfortunately I caught my knee on his head. I don’t know what else to do there. I know Johnny pretty well. I just hope he is OK.”

He added: “I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it. It was a scary situation. I’ll reach out to him and talk to him and hope he’s OK. [Maple Leafs forward Nick Foligno] came up to me and said, ‘Let’s just settle this now, let’s not wait.’ You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.’”

Perry and Foligno fought as soon as play resumed.

“Just horrible,” Foligno added. “Life comes into play at that point, and just seeing how he was in pain, it made you sick to your stomach. You think about him as a family man too. The game kind of takes a back seat no matter the circumstances when you see somebody in that much pain and an unfortunate play like it was.”

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Tavares was “conscious and communicating well.” He said the player was going to remain in the hospital for further testing.

The players on the ice weren’t the only ones to hide their eyes once seeing the hit.

The Canadiens would come away with a 2-1 victory to go up 1-0 in the series.

Chinese skyscraper evacuated after starting to shake for no apparent reason
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Chinese skyscraper evacuated after starting to shake for no apparent reason

Engineers were inspecting a skyscraper in southern China on Wednesday, a day after it triggered widespread panic when it suddenly began shaking, as people took to social media to ask if shoddy construction may have been to blame. If you need Complete roofing soltuions you can find easy from online.

The 1,000-foot SEG Plaza in the southern city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong began swaying in the early afternoon on Tuesday, prompting people inside and those on the streets below to flee.

Emergency management officials quickly ruled out an earthquake as the cause of the wobble in the tech hub’s Futian district.

Officials said no further movement had been detected and experts found “no safety abnormalities in the main structure and surrounding environment of the building.”

The building had stopped shaking by the time people were evacuated, state media reported, and the plaza remained sealed off.

Building collapses are not rare in China, where lax construction standards and breakneck urbanization over recent decades has led to buildings being thrown up in haste.

Poor construction standards are often linked to corruption among local officials, most recently after the collapse of a quarantine hotel in southern China last year.

Social media immediately lit up after Tuesday’s incident, with hashtags on the Twitter-like Weibo related to the shaking garnering more than 780 million views and hundreds of thousands of comments, with many users worried about construction standards.

“Shenzhen should not use this shaking building again. It’s fit for demolition,” wrote one.

“In today’s cities, there’s no guarantee of the quality of these skyscrapers,” added another.

Completed in 2000, the tower is home to a major electronics market as well as various offices in the central business district of Shenzhen, a sprawling metropolis of more than 13 million people. If you want to get a home loan you should Compare Home Loans first.

The building is named after the semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Electronics Group, whose offices are based in the complex.

It is the 18th tallest tower in Shenzhen, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat skyscraper database.

Chinese authorities last year banned the construction of skyscrapers taller than 500 meters (1,640 feet), adding to height restrictions already enforced in some other cities such as Beijing.

Ousted Space Force officer says he's been 'misportrayed', received 'thousands' of notes from troops
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Ousted Space Force officer says he’s been ‘misportrayed’, received ‘thousands’ of notes from troops

Lohmeier contends he was speaking out against extremist ideologies, based on a reported February memo from Secretary Austin.

A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Space Force who was relieved of his command told Fox News Digital on Monday he is being “misportrayed” online in regards to the comments about Marxism he made on a podcast earlier this month – and that he has received a private outpouring of support from fellow servicemembers.

Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, formerly the commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora Colo., was ousted from his position last week; a development first reported by Military.com.

Lohmeier told Fox News he still retains his rank but has been reassigned within the Space Force. The controversy came following Lohmeier’s appearance on the “Information Operation” podcast, wherein he promoted his new book, “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.”

“I don’t believe I was being partisan. It is not politically partisan to expose or attack critical race theory or Marxism,” Lohmeier told Fox News Monday.

“The reason I say that is because Critical Race Theory and Marxism are antithetical to American values. Critical race theory fuels narratives that attack America’s founding documents.”

In that regard, Lohmeier said he is and was not attacking any political party or official.

“I’m being misportrayed online – I don’t criticize any leader, or any person in the DoD (Department of Defense) or any elected officials – but I try to tee up ideas that I think are toxic,” he said.

In February, Lohmeier said, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III issued guidance to every service member which asked them to “stand up for each other” and that every soldier “has a responsibility to say something when they see impermissible behavior.”

“We owe it to the Oath we each took, and to the American people, to stand up against extremist ideologies,” Austin said in the memo, according to Lohmeier.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he told Fox News of his concerns regarding critical race theory and Marxism. “And I’m not trying to be politically partisan.”

On Fox News’ “Hannity” later Monday, Lohmeier told host Sean Hannity that institutionally, the Pentagon has had a zero-tolerance policy against any type of discrimination; whether it be race, sex, politics or religion.

While in command at Buckley, Lohmeier followed that tenet as a commanding officer.

He said, however, that in his time in leadership, communications sent out to every service member at the base in preparation for what Austin called ‘extremism down-days’, which – in the colonel’s words – alleged that “the country was evil, that it was founded in 1619 rather than 1776, and that White [people] are inherently evil”.

“So, I spoke up against those things in [writing] my book,” he told Hannity.

Lohmeier’s tribulations also reportedly resonated among the rank-and-file, as the colonel explained he has received to date “thousands” of notes from his fellow military members who said they feel they’ve “lost their voice.”

Lohmeier also spoke at length about his book, which he divided into three parts.

The initial chapters defend what he calls “the greatness of the American ideal.”

That is something “every American and every service member should appreciate,” he told Fox News.

“Part two is a discussion about the origins of Marxist ideology – and I trace through a lineage of ideas through the last century to the present day, and show that Marxism has taken on many forms – and has many masks or faces,” he said. “So I discuss those various movements or various groups who espouse Marxist-rooted narratives for what they are.”

The final part of the book contrasts what is laid out in the first two sections, and makes the case why critical race theory is at odds with the collective American ideal. Lohmeier also writes about how “Marxist-rooted” claims about America are actually impacting the U.S. military culture.

“Most people – including senior leaders – who are pushing these ideas are pushing them without any understanding of Marxism,” he warned.

Lohmeier spoke to Fox News in his personal capacity, and his views do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Defense.

2.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Iowa
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2.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Iowa

The Iowa Department of Public Health reports more than 2.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state.

IDPH reported 89 new positive COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths Monday. At 10 a.m., IDPH reported 399,555 total positive tests, 354,950 total recoveries and 6,006 total deaths since the start of the pandemic. A day earlier, IDPH reported 399,466 total positive tests and 6,000 total deaths.

State data shows 1,265,610 people have fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Iowa, with 2,606,205 total doses administered in the state. Find out how you can get vaccinated in Iowa here.

Iowa’s 7-day positivity rate remains at 2.9%, while the 14-day average is holding steady at 3.3%. There have been 4,954,750 COVID-19 tests administered in Iowa.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are at their lowest levels in Iowa since June of 2020. There are 137 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 145 the previous day. There are 41 patients in ICU and 19 patients on ventilators.

Iowa reports a single long-term care facility with a virus outbreak. There are 10 positive cases among residents and staff at Risen Son Christian Village in Pottawattamie County. Iowa reports 2,336 care facility deaths.

IDPH provides COVID-19 data in real time on this website. KCCI publishes a daily data summary at 10 a.m.

Wall-to-wall betting coverage of the PGA Championship on NBC Sports EDGE
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Wall-to-wall betting coverage of the PGA Championship on NBC Sports EDGE

From enhanced user tools to in-depth daily content, NBC Sports EDGE has you covered this week from a betting perspective as the best in the world tackle Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship.

The EDGE Golf team offers a wide array of content options this week ahead of the year’s second major, providing timely news updates as well as analysis and play for fantasy, DFS and betting markets. It kicked off Monday with a breakdown of the Golf Pick ‘Em matchups within the NBC Sports Predictor app, a free-to-play contest where a perfect score this week could win a $100,000 jackpot. We examined the latest pre-tournament odds, with Rory McIlroy back on the Ocean Course as the betting favorite, and took a deep dive into what can be learned from the results from the 2012 PGA at Kiawah when McIlroy won by eight shots.

Tuesday we’ll pick things up a notch with the second installment of “Going for the Green,” a 30-minute show that will be streamed live on the NBC Sports YouTube page beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Hosts Sara Perlman and Drew Dinsick will be joined by Will Gray and Josh Culp to break down the action from Kiawah, plus insight from PointsBet Sportsbook head trader Jay Croucher on which players are attracting the most action from bettors.

Fans looking to familiarize themselves with a unique venue can check out a thorough course preview on this week’s host site. For DFS players, we’ll have dedicated articles to DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo throughout the week discussing potential plays and fades within each format.

And yes, there will be wagers. Well before the first ball goes in the air Thursday morning, we’ll have articles breaking down potential winners and value plays within the top-10 and top-20 finisher markets. We’ll also analyze head-to-head wagers, offer potential first-round leader plays and dive into some of the European sleeper picks that could surprise from across the pond just as David Lynn did in 2012. Wednesday night we’ll include an action report, detailing the most popular bets, notable wagers and significant liabilities heading into the opening round.

The content will continue once the tournament is underway. Each night we’ll offer an update of the outright tournament odds, including potential live bet additions and head-to-head matchups to keep an eye on for the following day’s round.

And users can take things into their own hands, as well, with the debut of Golf EDGE Finder tools within the NBC Sports EDGE site. Beginning this week, EDGE+ MAX subscribers will have access to a wide array of new golf-specific tools, with customizable options across both betting and DFS to help leave no stone unturned while getting a leg up on the competition.

Another major championship is upon us – be sure to dive into the various content offerings to help get a better feel for who might be lifting the Wanamaker Trophy by Sunday.

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Hong Kong suspends operations of its office in Taiwan
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Hong Kong suspends operations of its office in Taiwan

Hong Kong announced Tuesday (May 18) it was suspending the operations of its office in Taiwan, with media in the Chinese territory reporting the closure would take place “with immediate effect.”

The Hong Kong Economic, Cultural and Trade Office in Taipei will cease functioning only temporarily. Hong Kong citizens and others in Taiwan can still connect with the territory online or through the 1823 and 1868 Hong Kong government hotlines, CNA reported.

When Taiwanese reporters phoned the office, staff denied the suspension was related to the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 patients in Taiwan, in particular in Taipei, where the office is based, and in New Taipei City. However, Hong Kong officials did not provide further details about the reason for the suspension of services.

The South China Morning Post described the move as an “immediate closure,” signifying worsening relations between Taiwan and Hong Kong. The decision was reportedly made by the Chinese territory’s Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, which is in charge of relations with Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s office in Hong Kong has been facing problems, as the city’s authorities reportedly refused to renew the eight staff members’ work permits, which are up for renewal by the end of this year.

The Taiwanese staff had followed all the rules originally stipulated in the 2011 agreement which led to the establishment of the offices in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Mainland Affairs Council said.

As repression has mounted in Hong Kong in the wake of last year’s enactment of the national security law, Taiwan has become a haven for democracy activists from the territory.

494 new COVID-19 cases, 5 additional deaths reported in Massachusetts
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494 new COVID-19 cases, 5 additional deaths reported in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 494 confirmed COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 656,838 since the start of the pandemic.

State health officials also added five confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state’s total, which is now 17,394.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 494 confirmed COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 656,838 since the start of the pandemic.

State health officials also added five confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state’s total, which is now 17,394.

The report said 337 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized in Massachusetts, of which 94 were reported to be in an intensive care unit.

In the DPH’s weekly report released on Thursday, six communities were in the “Red,” or at high risk of COVID-19, down from 13 communities last week.

The state says there have been 624,708 recoveries, according to the latest weekly report.

Damon Weaver, Student Reporter Who Interviewed Obama, Dies At 23
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Damon Weaver, Student Reporter Who Interviewed Obama, Dies At 23

As an 11-year-old, student reporter Damon Weaver landed the interview of his dreams with then-President Obama. In the 10-minute interview, the two discussed education in America, with topics ranging from funding to whether Obama had the power to change school lunches. Weaver’s suggestion included French fries and mangoes as staples for all students. Let know more about electrician school in San Antonio.

Weaver, who continued to pursue a journalism career into college, died May 1 at age 23. His sister, Candace Hardy, told The Palm Beach Post that Weaver died of natural causes.

“He was loved by everyone,” Hardy told the Post. “No matter if it was a stranger, his mom or a family member, he was just a ball of light with so much energy. He was always positive, always had a smile on a face and he was always a joy to be around. He left an impact on a lot of people.”

Weaver’s interview with Obama came after nearly a year of requests to the White House during which Weaver conducted many other high profile interviews, including ones with then-Sen. Joe Biden, NBA star Dwyane Wade and Oprah Winfrey.

In his reporting, Weaver sought to bring answers to his community. He asked Biden about the role of vice president, Wade about his childhood and what advice he had for the student population at Canal Point Elementary, and Winfrey about what it was like working in “the famous talk show business.”

During his quest to interview Obama, Weaver scored credentials to cover the 2009 inauguration as a journalist. In an interview with NPR’s Melissa Block, Weaver spoke about his interviews at The Root Ball with Winfrey, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and his coverage plans for Inauguration Day.

His interviews were featured on KEC TV, the newscast program for Canal Point Elementary. His journalism teacher, Brian Zimmerman, told the Post in 2016 that Weaver had natural talent and was eager to participate in the program after Zimmerman made his pitch to fifth graders.

“I’ve tried to have other kids as reporters, but nobody has ever been like he was,” Zimmerman said. “He was calm, natural and had a big personality. He could think of funny questions, and he liked being around people.”

Though a reporter himself, Weaver was interviewed by other news organizations, including all the top cable networks, NPR and The Associated Press in 2009.

The then fifth-grader spoke to the AP about his life in Pahokee, Fla., and detailed what he liked about his budding career as a reporter.

“I like being a reporter because you get to learn a lot of things. you get to meet nice people and you get to travel a lot,” Weaver told the AP.

Weaver graduated from Royal Palm Beach High School and earned a scholarship to Albany State University in Georgia, according to the Post. Weaver was pursuing a degree in communications, and his sister told the paper that he had hopes of covering the National Football League as a sports journalist one day.

Israeli Strike In Gaza Destroys Building That Housed AP, Other Media
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Israeli Strike In Gaza Destroys Building That Housed AP, Other Media

An Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets on Saturday, hours after another air raid on a densely populated refugee camp in the city killed at least 10 Palestinians from an extended family, mostly children.

The strike on the high-rise came nearly an hour after the military ordered people to evacuate the 12-story building, which also housed Al-Jazeera, other offices and residential apartments. The strike brought down the entire structure, which collapsed in a gigantic cloud of dust. There was no immediate explanation for why it was attacked.

The earlier Israeli airstrike on the Gaza City refugee camp was the deadliest single strike of the current conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Both sides are pressing for an advantage as cease-fire efforts gathered strength.

The latest outburst of violence started in Jerusalem and spread across the region over the past week, with Jewish-Arab clashes and rioting in mixed cities of Israel. There were also widespread Palestinian protests Friday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces shot and killed 11 people.

The spiraling violence has raised fears of a new Palestinian “intifada,” or uprising at a time when there have been no peace talks in years. Palestinians on Saturday were marking Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, when they commemorate the displacement of an estimated 700,000 people who were expelled from or fled their homes in what was now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. The timing raised the possibility of even more unrest.

U.S. diplomat Hady Amr arrived Friday as part of Washington’s efforts to de-escalate the conflict, and the U.N. Security Council was set to meet Sunday. But Israel turned down an Egyptian proposal for a one-year truce that Hamas rulers had accepted, an Egyptian official said Friday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

Since Monday night, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which has pounded the Gaza Strip with strikes. In Gaza, at least 139 people have been killed, including 39 children and 22 women; in Israel, eight people have been killed, including a man killed by a rocket Saturday that hit in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv.

The strike on the building housing media offices came in the afternoon, after the building’s owner received a call from the Israeli military warning that it would be hit. AP’s staff and others in the building evacuated immediately.

Al-Jazeera, the news network funded by Qatar’s government, broadcast the airstrikes live as the building collapsed.

“This channel will not be silenced. Al-Jazeera will not be silenced,” an on-air anchorwoman from Al-Jazeera English said, her voice thick with emotion. “We can guarantee you that right now.”

The bombardment earlier Saturday struck a three-story house in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, killing eight children and two women from an extended family.

Mohammed Hadidi told reporters his wife and five children had gone to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday with relatives. She and three of the children, aged 6 to 14, were killed, while an 11-year-old is missing. Only 5-month-old Omar is known to have survived.

Children’s toys and a Monopoly board game could be seen among the rubble, as well as plates of uneaten food from the holiday gathering.

“There was no warning,” said Jamal Al-Naji, a neighbor living in the same building. “You filmed people eating and then you bombed them?” he said, addressing Israel. “Why are you confronting us? Go and confront the strong people!”

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hamas said it fired a salvo of rockets at southern Israel in response to the airstrike.

A furious Israeli barrage early Friday killed a family of six in their house and sent thousands fleeing to U.N.-run shelters. The military said 160 warplanes dropped some 80 tons of explosives over the course of 40 minutes and succeeded in destroying a vast tunnel network used by Hamas.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the military aims to minimize collateral damage in striking military targets. But measures it takes in other strikes, such as warning shots to get civilians to leave, were not “feasible this time.”

Israeli media said the military believed dozens of militants were killed inside the tunnels. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups have confirmed 20 deaths in their ranks, but the military said the real number is far higher.

Gaza’s infrastructure, already in widespread disrepair because of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007, showed signs of breaking down further. The territory’s sole power plant is at risk of running out of fuel in the coming days.

The U.N. said Gazans are already enduring daily power cuts of 8 to 12 hours and at least 230,000 have limited access to tap water. The impoverished and densely populated territory is home to 2 million Palestinians, most of them the descendants of refugees from what is now Israel.

The conflict has reverberated widely. Israeli cities with mixed Arab and Jewish populations have seen nightly violence, with mobs from each community fighting in the streets and trashing each other’s property.

Late on Friday, someone threw a firebomb at an Arab family’s home in the Ajami neighborhood of Tel Aviv, striking two children. A 12-year-old boy was in moderate condition with burns on his upper body and a 10-year-old girl was treated for a head injury, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

In the occupied West Bank, on the outskirts of Ramallah, Nablus and other towns and cities, hundreds of Palestinians protested the Gaza campaign and Israeli actions in Jerusalem. Waving Palestinian flags, they trucked in tires that they set up in burning barricades and hurled stones at Israeli soldiers. At least 10 protesters were shot and killed by soldiers. An 11th Palestinian was killed when he tried to stab a soldier at a military position.

In East Jerusalem, online video showed young Jewish nationalists firing pistols as they traded volleys of stones with Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, which became a flashpoint for tensions over attempts by settlers to forcibly evict a number of Palestinian families from their homes.

On Israel’s northern border, troops opened fire when a group of Lebanese and Palestinian protesters cut through the border fence and briefly crossed. One Lebanese was killed. Three rockets were fired toward Israel from neighboring Syria without causing any casualties or damage. It was not immediately known who fired them.

The tensions began in East Jerusalem earlier this month, with Palestinian protests against the Sheikh Jarrah evictions and Israeli police measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a mount in the Old City revered by Muslims and Jews.

Hamas fired rockets toward Jerusalem late Monday, in an apparent attempt to present itself as the champion of the protesters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Hamas will “pay a very heavy price” for its rocket attacks. U.S. President Biden has expressed support for Israel while saying he hopes to bring the violence under control.

Hamas has fired some 2,000 rockets toward Israel since Monday, according to the Israeli military. Most have been intercepted by anti-missile defenses, but they have brought life to a standstill in southern Israeli cities, caused disruptions at airports and have set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Tom Brady struggled to learn the Bucs’ playbook last season
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Tom Brady struggled to learn the Bucs’ playbook last season

After 20 years with the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady had a significant adjustment to make in Tampa Bay. Via JoeBucsFan.com, Brady explained the difficulty of the transition in his recent appearance with Hoodinkie Radio.

“Midway through the year, I was still trying to figure out how to call the plays,” Brady said regarding the Buccaneers’ playbook. “I just read [the plays] off my wristband and tried to visualize what was going to happen.”

After so much time in one system, it was a crash course for Brady to learn a new attack.

“It’s like learning a completely new language,” Brady said. “You’ve spoken English for 20 years and someone goes, ‘Hey man, let’s speak some Spanish.’ And you are like, ‘Huh? That makes no sense to my brain.’”

The pandemic complicated the effort for all the new teammates to get on the same page.

“[I]t took a long time for people to get to know one another,” Brady said. “Much longer than normal. The last six weeks of the year, wow, we really started hitting our stride. We gained a lot of confidence in one another. It was a really unique experience, one that I hope I never, ever have to go through again, but I think we made the best of it.”

The Bucs finished the year by winning eight games in a row, and they’ll be expected to pick up where they left off, especially with all 22 starters back in 2021. And with Brady more than a year into his effort to learn the new language.

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