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New England Patriots

Gillette Stadium death: Autopsy ‘did not suggest traumatic injury’

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The autopsy of Dale Mooney, the New Hampshire man who died at Gillette Stadium during Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, found nothing to suggest traumatic injury, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.

“Preliminary autopsy results did not suggest traumatic injury, but did identify a medical issue. Cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further testing,” DA spokesman David Traub wrote Wednesday morning.

The office asks that anyone with any information on the incident, or any witnesses to “the scuffle prior to Mr. Dale Mooney’s collapse,” to call State Police detectives stationed at the DA’s office at 781-830-4990.

As the Herald is reporting today, a fellow fan said Mooney was in a fight with a Dolphins fan near the end of Sunday’s game at Gillette.

Joe Kilmartin told the Herald Tuesday night he witnessed the Dolphins fan “punch” Mooney “in the face” near the end of the game. The Patriots went on to lose to the Dolphins 24-17.

This is a developing story.

Patriots great Devin McCourty to be recognized for his off-the-field contributions to New England

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Devin McCourty won’t be suiting up for the Patriots anymore, but the spotlight is still shining on the former team captain’s contributions to the New England community.

McCourty, who announced his retirement from the NFL in March, will be recognized in November for his service off the field when he receives the Embracing the Legacy Award from RFK Community Alliance.

The Lancaster-based nonprofit that provides all kinds of family support services is specifically placing its focus on what it says is one of McCourty’s “most pivotal moments in his career”: helping free a man serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

McCourty, teammates and other members of the Patriots organization during the 2021 season partnered with social justice advocates to free Brockton resident William Allen, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1997 after committing an armed robbery that killed 42-year-old Purvis Bester in 1994.

The advocacy work led to former Gov. Charlie Baker commuting Allen’s first-degree murder conviction, making him immediately eligible for parole, in January 2022. Allen was 48 at the time he was freed.

“People, especially children, shouldn’t be defined by the worst thing that they have done,” McCourty said in a release. “It is vital to showcase new pathways to break the systemic cycles that prevent people from reaching their full potential.”

The commutation marked the first to happen in 25 years in Massachusetts.

McCourty helped lead the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships during his 13-year career and is arguably destined to end up as a Hall of Famer, in Foxboro and in Canton. He earned two Pro Bowl nods and held one of the longest consecutive starts streaks in franchise history, making 115 straight starts and playing more than 12,000 snaps.

But RFK Community Alliance says his off-the-field impact is equally as noteworthy through his advocacy for social justice reform, focusing on the school-to-prison pipeline and juvenile justice reform. He is part of a host of various community initiatives across Boston and New England.

“When members of the community use their platform to champion equity and fairness, it has a profound impact and inspires lasting change,” the Alliance’s president and CEO Michael Ames said in a statement. “Devin is a model for us all, and his actions truly reflect the social values and hopes of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy.”

Crocker Field renovations get a boost from Patriots

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Fitchburg Public Schools has been granted $250,000 by the New England Patriots through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program to install a new artificial turf surface at Crocker Field.

The grant from the Patriots, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of $3 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year. The field will serve about 5,000 youth, including the Fitchburg High School football team.

The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program — a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization — has supported the construction or renovation of 431 football fields nationwide since 1998. During that time, the NFL Foundation has granted nearly $61.8 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.

“Providing athletic fields for children to participate in competitive sports is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “The lessons learned and the exercise gained through competitive sports is so important, especially at the high school level. We have received such positive feedback from the dozens of communities that have benefitted from these grants over the years. We are happy to provide this year’s field to Fitchburg Public Schools and look forward to working with the NFL and LISC to provide grants to proud New England communities for years to come.”

Crocker Field is one of the few public school fields that still has natural grass. (Sentinel & Enterprise/Nick Mallard)
Crocker Field in Fitchburg. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)

LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

“LISC is thrilled to support the restoration and upgrade of Fitchburg’s historic Crocker Field as a resource for their students and families,” said Karen E. Kelleher, Executive Director of LISC Boston. “It’s exciting to know that this field, and the activities it hosts, particularly the Thanksgiving rivalry with Leominster, will continue to play a central role in the life of the city for generations to come.”

Jeff Bennett led the effort for Crocker Field on behalf of the Fitchburg Public School system.

“Crocker Field has served generations of Fitchburg students who have played, performed and graduated on this hallowed field,” Bennett said. “The NFL Grant and commitment from the New England Patriots and the Kraft Family will ensure that Crocker Field will continue to serve as a vital part of student and community life in Fitchburg for decades to come.”

Bernardians set to open weekend of games

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The location was set. Now the rest of the details for St. Bernard’s upcoming Division 7 championship tilt have been released.

The third-seeded Bernardians will vie for the crown Friday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, squaring off with No. 1 West Boylston. The Division 7 game is the first of eight contests to be played at the home of the New England Patriots on Friday and Saturday, all but guaranteeing an on-time start.

It’s the fourth title game appearance for the Bernardians and first since 2019, when St. Bernard’s won the second of its back-to-back Division 8 championships.

St. Bernard’s (10-1) earned the berth at Gillette courtesy of a 32-19 semifinal victory over defending champion and second-seeded Cohassett Friday at Burlington High School. It was the team’s ninth straight win and ninth consecutive game allowing less than 20 points.

Led by the rushing duo of Antonio Mancini (1,280 yards, 16 TDs) and Damien Jones (1,479 yards, 23 TDs) and a stout defense, the Bernardians opened the postseason with a 42-12 drubbing of No. 14 Mashpee before fending off No. 6 Uxbridge, 20-14, in the quarterfinals two weeks ago.

West Boylston (10-1) has won four straight, including rolling through three playoff games to reach the final.

Running with the Wolves

Nashoba Regional’s cross country teams had a pair of standout performances at Saturday’s All-State championship meet at Devens, with Adam Balewicz and Caroline Collins turning in outstanding times.

Collins claimed second in the Division 2 girls race with a time of 18:37.52, trailing only Holliston’s Carmen Luisi (18:27.37). Balewicz was third the Division 2 boys event, coming in at 15:40.63 behind Burlington’s Rithikh Prakash (15:39.20) and Falmouth’s Henry Gartner (15:40.44).

The location was set. Now the rest of the details for St. Bernard’s upcoming Division 7 championship tilt have been released.

The third-seeded Bernardians will vie for the crown Friday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, squaring off with No. 1 West Boylston. The Division 7 game is the first of eight contests to be played at the home of the New England Patriots on Friday and Saturday, all but guaranteeing an on-time start.

It’s the fourth title game appearance for the Bernardians and first since 2019, when St. Bernard’s won the second of its back-to-back Division 8 championships.

St. Bernard’s (10-1) earned the berth at Gillette courtesy of a 32-19 semifinal victory over defending champion and second-seeded Cohassett Friday at Burlington High School. It was the team’s ninth straight win and ninth consecutive game allowing less than 20 points.

Led by the rushing duo of Antonio Mancini (1,280 yards, 16 TDs) and Damien Jones (1,479 yards, 23 TDs) and a stout defense, the Bernardians opened the postseason with a 42-12 drubbing of No. 14 Mashpee before fending off No. 6 Uxbridge, 20-14, in the quarterfinals two weeks ago.

The Bernardians have fallen just once this season, losing to Division 6 finalist Stoneham, 24-6, on Sept. 16.

West Boylston (10-1) has won four straight, including rolling through three playoff games to reach the final. The Lions’ lone loss of the season came at the hands of Lunenburg High on Oct. 21.

Running with the Wolves
Nashoba Regional’s cross country teams had a pair of standout performances at Saturday’s All-State championship meet at Devens, with Adam Balewicz and Caroline Collins turning in outstanding times.

Collins claimed second in the Division 2 girls race with a time of 18:37.52, trailing only Holliston’s Carmen Luisi (18:27.37). Balewicz was third the Division 2 boys event, coming in at 15:40.63 behind Burlington’s Rithikh Prakash (15:39.20) and Falmouth’s Henry Gartner (15:40.44).

Firsts for the Falcons

The Fitchburg State ice hockey team witnessed a pair of firsts during Saturday evening’s 4-1 road victory over Anna Maria.

Junior Matthew Radder earned his first collegiate victory for Fitchburg State on Saturday. (Courtesy Fitchburg State Athletics)
Junior Matthew Radder earned his first collegiate victory for Fitchburg State on Saturday. (Courtesy Fitchburg State Athletics)

Junior netminder Matthew Radder was fantastic in his first collegiate start, turning aside 45 of the 46 shots he faced to earn his first win with the Falcons (3-1-2). Prior to Saturday’s game, Radder had appeared in three minutes of game action for Fitchburg State, coming in late and stopping both of the shots he faced in a Feb. 3, 2022, win over Salem State.

Freshman forward Brendan Walk netted his first collegiate goal in the victory as well, finding the back of the net midway through the third period to put the Falcons ahead 3-1.

The Falcons return to the ice Tuesday, heading to Assumption for a road contest at 5:50 p.m.

Children’s advocates want universal free school lunches to continue

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Advocates are calling on state lawmakers to extend free meals at schools, a program that came into place during the pandemic and is even more important now with food insecurity rates even higher than before COVID hit.

“One of the hard lessons of the pandemic is that it showed just how important school meals are for children and their families,” said Erin McAleer, president and CEO of Project Bread, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides food to hungry families in Massachusetts.

Initially backed by Congress, the latest budget from Capitol Hill does not include funding for the Universal Free School Meals program, which lawmakers had approved after the pandemic knocked out what is often the only source of food many youngsters have, namely the meals they can get at school.

With the federal program set expire on June 30, advocates are asking the state lawmakers to step in and make universal school breakfast and lunch permanent.

“School meals ease the financial burden on families that are really feeling the squeeze when they have to feed their children and pay for rent and electricity,” said Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, executive director of the Children’s Health Watch, a research program headquartered at Boston Medical Center. “If families are financially strapped, that’s a huge support. And if all youngsters receive free meals, it eliminates the stigma many would feel if they were the only ones receiving free food.”

The meals have been a critical resource for the one in five households with children and one in three households of color, McAleer said.

Last month, House lawmakers on Beacon Hill approved a budget proposal that includes $110 million to extend free school breakfast and lunch. While the provision would not be permanent, it would extend the program for the next school year.

The Senate has yet to approve a budget proposal of its own. Senate President Karen Spilka did not return calls or emails Thursday.

If the provision passes both branches, 400,000 Massachusetts students would continue to have access to free school meals in the upcoming school year, McAleer said.

Research shows that access to free food reduces anxiety, improves test scores and helps keep struggling families afloat, Ettinger de Cuba said.

“If the Senate and House both approve one-year extensions of the program,” she said, “we’ll definitely keep fighting to make the extension permanent.

Charlie Baker takes a shot at Tom Brady haters: ‘I have no hurt feelings, mixed feelings, none of that about Tom Brady’

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Many Patriots fans expressed disappointment when Tom Brady didn’t mention the Patriots in his initial statement announcing his retirement from the NFL earlier this week. But not Gov. Charlie Baker.

“I have no hurt feelings, mixed feelings, none of that about Tom Brady,” Baker said at an unrelated press conference. “He was a real gift to this region if you care about football, and you want to have that opportunity to be able to watch and appreciate truly one of the greatest performers on any stage of athletics, ever.”

Baker knew his opinion would be unpopular, “but since I’m not running for re-election,” he said with a smile, he gave a passionate monologue as he opined about Brady’s legacy.

“When he left, he showered the team, the coaches, the Krafts, and the fan base with adulation and love,” he said. “I may be 65, but my memory is not that broken. I remember everything he said about how much he appreciated all of us here in New England.”

He then recalled the earliest days of the Patriots, then stadium-less and known as “the Boston Patriots,” which played in venues like Fenway Park and the Harvard Stadium. “It was hard. I mean, you didn’t win very many games,” he said.

He said that Brady gave him and other Patriots fans hope every Sunday, and a real shot at continuing to play into February, when the Super Bowl is held.

“For all those for whom they grew up, never knowing what it was really like to be a Patriots fan in the old days, OK? The gratitude that I feel to the team, to the organization and especially to him for giving us this astonishing — he played 22 years,” Baker said, his voice rising. “Half of them, he was in the Super Bowl. It just doesn’t happen. Yet it did, and we got to watch, so I’m incredibly grateful for all of it.”