New England Patriots

This is bad. Really bad.

Another New England Patriots start has tested positive for COVID-19 -- Stephon Gilmore ... and now there are serious concerns about a major NFL outbreak.

Gilmore is one of the top players on the Pats -- a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback who was a part of the Patriots 2018 Super Bowl team.

He's also the 3rd Patriots player to test positive over the past week -- following QB Cam Newton and practice squad defensive end Bill Murray. Newton had tested positive on Saturday, which led to the NFL moving the Pats vs. Chiefs game from Sunday to Monday.

The big concern, obviously, is that Gilmore played during Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was seen shaking hands with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes after the game.

Did Gilmore have COVID at the time even though he tested negative? It's possible. And, now everyone is concerned.

The Patriots have canceled their Wednesday practice while they try to figure things out. They're supposed to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday but now that game is clearly in jeopardy.

More bad news ... another Tennessee Titans player ALSO tested positive for COVID -- which means the team can't open their practice facility on Wednesday, as they were hoping to do.

It also puts their scheduled Sunday matchup with the Buffalo Bills in jeopardy.

EVEN MORE BAD NEWS ... a player on the Las Vegas Raiders has also tested positive. The Raiders are supposed to play the Chiefs on Sunday.

Remember, the NFL is NOT in a bubble environment -- though players and staffers are tested daily.

But, right now, there is serious concern about how the league can move forward if so many players continue to test positive.

Positive news from Patriots running back James White ... the New England star says his mom's condition is slowly improving after she was involved in a tragic accident last month.

"That eases my pain a little bit," White said Monday.

Both of White's parents were traveling in a car in Cooper City, Fla., on Sept. 20 when their vehicle was involved in a terrifying wreck at around 1 PM.

Cops say White's father, former Miami-Dade Police Captain Tyrone White, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers added White's mom, Lisa, was transported to the hospital, reportedly in critical condition.

James had sat out the last two Pats games to mourn the tragedy ... and after his first game back against the Chiefs on Monday, the RB delivered some positive info about his mom.

She's "continuing to improve and progress and get better," James said.

As for how he's handling everything ... the 28-year-old said it all still feels "surreal" -- but added, "I'm just trying to push through, because that's what my dad would want me to do."

James -- a 3-time Super Bowl champ -- played well in his first game since the tragedy ... catching 7 passes and recording 59 total yards from scrimmage in the Pats' 26-10 loss to the Chiefs.

The tailback told reporters afterward that football has helped "ease my mind."

Bill Belichick removed BOTH of his masks from his face Monday to scream at officials after a bad call ... and it seems obvious a huge fine is coming his way.

The New England Patriots head coach arrived at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City wearing TWO masks ... seemingly trying to send a message that he's taking the NFL's COVID rules seriously.

But, when the Patriots appeared to force a HUGE turnover late in the 2nd quarter -- only to have the play waved off by officials -- Belichick lost his damn mind.

Long story short ... Pats defensive end Chase Winovich appeared to strip Mahomes of the ball during a big 3rd down play -- with another Pats player catching the ball before it hit the ground.

It seemed like a solid turnover that would give the Pats the ball deep in Chiefs territory ... a potential game-changer!

But, the refs ruled that Mahomes was "in the grasp" and blew the whistle dead BEFORE the turnover -- meaning Chiefs kept possession.

Belichick went NUCLEAR -- ripping down his two masks and unloading at the refs ... breaking COVID protocol.

The NFL has been fining coaches for removing masks to yell -- Raiders coach Jon Gruden was hit with a $100,000 fine for similar antics during Week 2.

Belichick is rich and can afford it -- but the NFL is trying to send a message ... STOP TEARING OFF YOUR MASKS!!!!

The New England Patriots are en route to Kansas City to play the Chiefs on Monday night ... after new rounds of testing showed no new COVID cases.

Remember, it was Friday night that Patriots QB Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 ... raising serious concerns about an outbreak within the organization, just like the Tennessee Titans.

As a result of Cam's test, the Pats vs. Chiefs game -- initially scheduled for Sunday in KC -- was postponed to Monday to allow for more testing.

But, according to multiple reports, ZERO players and staffers outside of Cam have tested positive since Friday ... so the team will go ahead and travel Monday morning, in order to play Monday night.

As for the Chiefs, backup QB Jordan Ta'amu had tested positive over the weekend -- but no other Chiefs players or staffers have tested positive either.

Both Newton and Ta'amu are in quarantine and will not attend the game.

After the game, the Patriots will get right back on the team, plane and fly back to New England, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

It's official ... Robert Kraft is now off the hook in his sex spa case, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records show prosecutors dismissed Kraft's 2 misdemeanor charges of soliciting a prostitute ... with officials saying Thursday they didn't have enough evidence to get a conviction.

"Although there was probable cause to make an arrest," state attorney David Aronberg wrote in court docs, "the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution."

The news isn't exactly a surprise ... in fact, it was expected after Kraft's team of lawyers successfully argued video of the New England Patriots owner allegedly receiving sex acts inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa should NOT be admitted in the case.

Judges in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled cops screwed up in the way they went about recording inside the Jupiter, Fla. facility by failing to ensure privacy for people getting legitimate massages. So, the footage was not allowed in the case.

With the vid thrown out ... prosecutors clearly lacked a smoking gun -- and were essentially forced to move on.

State officials are expected to break down the decision at a press conference later Thursday.

Sad news ... Bill Belichick's mother, Jeannette, died Tuesday of natural causes -- multiple media outlets confirmed. She was 98 years old.

The Patriots legend was close with his mom ... and in an NFL Films documentary back in 2017, she famously said she knew Bill would get into coaching when he was just 2 years old.

Jeannette met Bill's father, Steve Belichick, in the 1940s when the two worked together at Hiram College in Ohio. They married in 1950 ... and had Bill in 1952.

The New England coach, who was raised by Jeannette and Steve in Annapolis, MD, has often credited his parents for his success -- which includes 6 Super Bowl titles with the Pats.

Bill has helped carry on his parents' legacy over the years ... he made a donation to Hiram College in 2015, 10 years after his father's passing -- which led to the school renaming parts of the campus after Jeannette and Steve.

Two of the couple's grandkids, Bill's sons Steve and Brian, now work with Bill on his New England staff.

RIP

The Patriots are one week into the Cam Newton era and Dave Portnoy is ready to schedule the Super Bowl parade ... with the Barstool Sports founder telling TMZ Sports their new QB is a straight-up MONSTER!!!

Oh, and Tom Brady?? Portnoy says that dude's looking like an "antique!!!"

We caught up with El Pres out in NYC shortly after New England's 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday ... and he said Cam's performance was great from start to finish -- beginning with his can't-miss pregame outfit.

"He looked like the sexiest banana I've ever seen walking into the stadium," Portnoy says. "And, the second I saw that, it was over."

Pres says Newton was unstoppable on the field ... and while some may discredit the dub because it was against a team that went 5-11 last year, he points out TB12 even lost to the 'Fins last year.

"The Dolphins always give us trouble. Cam made 'em look like a high school team."

Speaking of Brady, Portnoy says he'll always support the man that won his team 6 Super Bowls ... but admits he's not the same guy from the past 20 years.

"I'll root for him. Brady's given me so much. But, I mean, he looks like the 'Antique Bowl' out there."

BTW -- Brady and the Bucs lost their season opener to the Saints, 34-23 ... and TB12 threw 2 INTs in the process.

Pres says he hopes TB12 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can get things in order by the time playoffs come around ... 'cause he wants the Pats to see him in the Super Bowl.

THE DISRESPECT IS REAL!!

Cam Newton says Miami Dolphins players tried to snatch the chain off his neck after his Patriots won on Sunday ... and it's all on video.

The New England QB was wrapping up a 21-10 victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough when cameras showed several Dolphins players jawing at Cam.

At one point, a hand reaches into the camera frame and tugs violently at Cam's neck -- it looks like the chain was snapped, but Cam managed to save it.

Eventually, Cam's teammates stepped in and separated the players.

The QB changed into his snazzy yellow outfit and talked about the incident after the game.

"I still got my chain," Cam said with a smile ... "I got two of 'em. So you could see. It was disrespect, they was reaching for my chain, though."

He continued, "I think that kind of got under my skin. But yeah, through it all, man ... listen -- I do not want nothing to be taken away from a great team game that we did have. And I don't want to be selfish to kind of focus or dwell on that."

"I think for us as a team, or me personally -- a lot of tempers can flare. And I was just teasing with Coach, just letting him know that the College Park almost came out in me."

Later on, Cam posted on social media about the incident -- saying, "Tried to snatch my chain and the game ... too bad I got both!"

Two Dolphins players responded.

Miami defensive end Shaq Lawson wrote, "We don’t won’t that weak ass chain."

And defensive tackle Raekwon Davis added, "Man ain’t nobody want your fake ass chains shit was weak anyway."

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE??!

Aqib Talib is calling it a career -- saying he's retiring from the NFL, despite a multi-million offer from the New England Patriots.

"Aqib Talib is officially retired," the 34-year-old defensive back said on the "Call to the Booth" show ... "I'm bringing my talents to the booth."

Talib started the 2019 season with the L.A. Rams -- but suffered a rib injury and was traded to the Miami Dolphins after 5 games. He never played a snap in Miami.

After the season, Talib told himself he would play one more year "as long as somebody give me a nice check ... or if someone gave me a nice ass role."

That's when Talib says he got a call from his former coach, Bill Belichick -- who wanted to bring Aqib back to New England for one final season.

"My guy, my big homie Bill Belichick called my phone man, told me that he had the role of a lifetime for me," Talib said.

Talib says the role was to basically cover tight ends -- and initially, Aqib LOVED the idea.

Oh, Talib says New England's offer was around the $6 million mark!

But, when Aqib started evaluating the monsters playing tight end in the NFL right now -- from George Kittle to Travis Kelce -- he quickly reconsidered.

"I looked at this f*cking schedule and the thought 'Can I even strap these damn tight ends?!'"

"Once that negative thought crossed my mind, man my heart, my competitive edge -- like I ain't really in it like that no more ... I just wasn't feeling it no more honestly."

Talib continued, "You gotta play this game with heart. If you don't play with heart, that's how you get real injuries, concussions and bad injuries when you out here playing nervous and things like that."

Talib was a 1st-round NFL Draft Pick back in 2008 out of Kansas -- and went on to play for the Bucs, Patriots, Broncos and Rams ... making the Pro Bowl 5 times.

He also won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

It's now official ... Cam Newton is THE starter in New England!!!

The Pats announced the move in a team meeting Thursday ... finally crowning a successor to Tom Brady.

Of course, it's not exactly shocking -- even if Cam had to wait to sign with the team until June ... he's a former MVP and the rest of the Pats QB roster, well, isn't.

The Patriots also announced Newton is a 2020 team captain -- alongside RB James White, center David Andrews, safety Devin McCourty, corner Jason McCourty, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, DL Lawrence Guy and special teamer Matthew Slater.

Newton comes at pretty good value for the Pats now ... he's one of the lowest-paid starting QBs in the league -- slated to earn just $1.75 mil this season.

Newton has said repeatedly this summer he's on a mission to prove he's still elite after several injury-plagued down seasons ... even saying back in July he's "about to motherf***in' ROAR!"

Seems he's already got the stamp of approval from his top wideout ... 'cause just a few days ago, Julian Edelman said the two were like Batman and Superman now.

Another huge victory in court for Robert Kraft ... video allegedly showing the Patriots owner receiving sex acts in a massage spa has been ruled INADMISSIBLE once again.

The 79-year-old's dream team of attorneys had successfully argued last year that Feb. 2019 footage of Kraft inside a Jupiter, Fla. day spa violated his rights and should NOT be allowed to be used in the case against him.

But, prosecutors appealed the decision to the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ... and said at a June hearing that police had every right to roll on Kraft.

On Wednesday ... judges sided with the New England owner -- saying in a lengthy opinion that cops screwed up in the way they went about recording video inside of the spa.

In the opinion, the judges say Kraft -- and others who received legitimate non-sexual massages -- had a reasonable right to privacy inside the facility.

The judges also say officers didn't do enough in their surveillance to protect those innocent people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

Prosecutors now have the option to appeal yet again to a higher court ... but this is likely the last stop.

In other words, seems the footage has been officially blocked for good.

It's a huge deal for RK ... officials have hit him with 2 charges of soliciting prostitution and he was realistically looking at a fine and community service if convicted -- but with no smoking gun video, it'll be much harder to get a conviction.

A spokesperson for Kraft tells TMZ Sports the Pats owner is "pleased" with the ruling -- noting that it effectively blocks footage "that should never have been taken."

"In doing so, the appellate panel unanimously agreed with every judge who has examined these issues and ruled that law enforcement acted unconstitutionally when conducting their investigation."

New threads, same number for Patriots quarterback Cam Newton ... 'cause the ex-MVP made his practice debut on Monday ... and the man is still Numero Uno!!

Now the question is -- will he be #1 on the depth chart?!

As of right now, Newton is currently sharing first-string duties with young QB Jarrett Stidham, according to the team's official site ... but obviously, only one guy can be under center come September.

It's the first ~official~ time we've seen Cam decked head-to-toe in Pats gear ... but the former #1-overall draft pick has stayed busy this offseason by working out with his new teammates like Julian Edelman ... and even Logan Paul.

The image of Cam in red, white and blue is definitely still taking some time getting used to -- especially after 20 years of seeing Tom Brady taking the snaps in Foxborough.

Speaking of, a bunch of new faces are showing up to camp recently -- from LSU hero Joe Burrow joining the Cincinnati Bengals, Tua Tagovailoa taking his talents to the Miami Dolphins and longtime vet Philip Rivers trading his Chargers jersey for Indianapolis Colts blue.

Here's hoping the NFL can successfully find a way to SAFELY proceed with the season -- because football is awesome and we're already getting fired up about it.

"They ask my advice, I tell them, and then they don't take it."

Joe Montana says Tom Brady told him that was a real issue in New England ... and Joe Cool believes it's one of the biggest reasons why TB12 is no longer a Patriot.

"I think that was one of his beefs up there," Montana told USA Today Sports on Wednesday ... "I think he would like a little bit of input."

Joe said in another interview Wednesday with SportsMap Radio that Brady broke it all down for him when the two were at NFL 100 ceremonies at the Super Bowl in February.

"I don’t think he was happy with the way things were progressing there and his ability to have input," Montana said.

Of course, Brady has never publicly explained what made him leave New England for Tampa ... but it's clear, Montana believes if Bill Belichick had given the QB more say in the offense, he might still be a Patriot.

Regardless, Joe says he thinks Bruce Arians and Co. will be more than willing to give Brady a big role in play-calling and game-planning down in Florida.

"I think they'll probably let him have that," Montana said, "especially with the success that he's had."

Cam Newton says he won't use his drama with the Carolina Panthers as motivational fuel to succeed in New England ... insisting he's the kind of self-motivator who "wakes up mad."

Newton -- sporting one of his best flashy outfits -- met with reporters Friday for the first time as a Patriot ... and was asked if the way things ended in Charlotte lit a fire under his ass to dominate in 2020.

"Look, I wake up mad. I don’t need … the fact I'm not able to see my kids on a regular basis, that's what makes me mad."

He continued, "I'm not gonna dwell on the past. I think I'm a person that's a self-motivator."

"Even though the past is the past, I'm not going to keep looking back. For me, it's just turn the page and move forward."

In fact, Cam seems to extend an olive branch to his former team ... saying, "I wish those guys nothing but the best. I hope the feeling is mutual and I'm moving on."

What's interesting is Cam is the same dude who recently said he felt "sh*tted on" and "left to die" after the Panthers released him.

He also recently called himself a "killa" who's "tired of being humble."

Logan Paul -- Cam Newton's next New England Patriots receiver??

Hell no!! But, the YouTube superstar DID put in work with the NFL QB in a training sesh earlier this month ... and he actually made some impressive catches!!

Logan -- who says he recently broke his wrist -- spotted Newton while leaving sports rehab in L.A. ... and naturally, they joined forces to whip up some #content.

The 2015 MVP enlisted Paul to be his receiver for some throwing drills ... starting off with 5-yard stop routes and 10-yard dig routes ... and we'll keep it a buck -- LP didn't do so hot.

"Everybody think they an athlete," Cam says. "But, real athletes come out when you're doing certain things athletically that you're not used to doing."

Newton's new Pats teammate, 4th-round pick Devin Asiasi, was there as well ... and simply put, things went a little better for him.

Then Logan turned it up a notch during the rest of the workout ... connecting with Cam from 15, 35 and 50 yards out!!

Cam seemed genuinely impressed with Paul ... and celebrated when he landed the final deep bomb.

FYI -- Logan was a star athlete in high school ... and was an All-Ohio honorable mention.

For a dude who says his old nickname was "No Hands," Logan didn't do too shabby!!

Bill Belichick's going to LOVE this ...

Cam Newton brought out yet another Patriots receiver for a throwing sesh in L.A. this month ... this time getting in some reps with Julian Edelman -- who's already praising the team's new QB!!

Cam posted a clip of their workout on Wednesday ... and it shows him throwing a dart of a football to a shirtless Edelman -- who loved the pass so much, he shouted out the QB in the vid.

"It very well could be like that," Edelman says after making the reception. "Great ball!"

Of course, Cam's worked out with just about every top New England wideout since signing with the team a few weeks ago ... he's had multiple L.A. sessions with Mohamed Sanu and N'Keal Harry in the last few weeks.

But, a workout with Jules is far more significant ... Edelman is the team's WR1 -- and the biggest leader on the squad now that Tom Brady's gone.

We're assuming more footage and details from the workout are on the way ... but seems Julian liked it all -- he reposted Cam's vid on social media with emojis of eyeballs and a shush sign.