New England Patriots

Morning sports update: What the McCourty twins said in their Rutgers commencement address

"Would the Patriots have won six Super Bowls if Bill Belichick listened to other people and put [Tom] Brady back on the bench?"

Jason and Devin McCourty Patriots parade
Jason and Devin McCourty at the Patriots' Super Bowl victory parade in Boston earlier in 2019. The Associated Press

By Hayden Bird

3 minutes to read

The Red Sox beat the Astros 4-3 on Sunday, snapping Houston’s 10-game winning streak.

And the Blues beat the Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final 5-0 to take a 3-2 series lead. The winner of the series will play the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final.

The McCourty twins gave a commencement address: Devin and Jason McCourty, who helped the Patriots win Super Bowl LIII, are also known for their work off the football field. The two Rutgers graduates were called back to give the commencement address to the class of 2019.

Intertwined in a larger inspirational message to the new graduates, the McCourty twins made a reference to a famous Patriots moment.

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“I know chasing goals can be scary. You may be doing things for the first time in your family’s history. You may be following in the footsteps of someone great,” said Devin. “But do you think we’d be standing here, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Paul Robeson’s graduation, if he let fear and doubt step in the way of being great? Would the Patriots have won six Super Bowls if Bill Belichick listened to other people and put [Tom] Brady back on the bench?”

The twins were given honorary degrees before their speech, which lasted approximately 20 minutes. Along with referencing Belichick, quotes from Cardi B and Jay-Z were also worked in.

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Trivia: Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis has hit eight home runs through his first 25 MLB games. Who is the last Red Sox player to accomplish this feat? (Check the bottom of the article for the answer).

Hint: He was called up days after the Red Sox released Pablo Sandoval, and became the youngest Red Sox player to hit a home run since Tony Conigliaro.

More from Boston.com:

Michael Chavis saluted his special introduction, and immediately smashed a home run

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Former Red Sox closer retires: Koji Uehara, whose masterful 2013 season as Red Sox closer culminated with him recording the final out in the 2013 World Series at Fenway Park, is retiring from baseball. He’s 44 years old, having made his professional debut in Japan in 1999.

Julian Edelman had to sneak in a joke about Chris Long’s retirement:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqIGB0Hs9U/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Todd Gurley is tired of losing to Boston: Rams running back Todd Gurley was a non-factor in the Super Bowl LIII loss to the Patriots. Recently he also rang the siren prior to the Hurricanes’ Game 4 loss to the Bruins. He made his thoughts clear on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqVGE3B-3t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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An interesting twist was that Tom Brady liked the post:

Todd Gurley Tom Brady Instagram

Photographer Emily Shields got a picture of Bill Belichick at the finish line of the Preakness:

Tim Tebow got the silent treatment:

The triple crown in horse racing (or the possibility of it) matters to viewers:

On this day: In 1984, Red Sox rookie Roger Clemens collected his first career MLB win in a 5-4 triumph over the Twins. Clemens would go on to total 354 wins in his storied (if controversial) professional career.

“There’s no question about it,” Ralph Houk told Boston Globe reporter Peter Gammons. “He’s going to be a good one.”

Roger Clemens first win 1984 Globe

Daily highlight: Kawhi Leonard willed the Raptors to a Game 3 win:

Trivia answer: Rafael Devers