Sports
Rooney ‘sticks by’ Van Dijk ‘lazy’ criticism
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said he “sticks by” his criticism of Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool captain branded his suggestion the Reds have lacked leadership this season “lazy.”
Rooney singled out Van Dijk and teammate Mohamed Salah last week when discussing Liverpool’s recent poor run of form, saying the pair’s body language this term is “not right.”
When asked about Rooney’s comments following Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, Van Dijk said: “I can say only positive things [about Rooney], but I feel like that comment is just I would say a bit of a lazy criticism.
“That’s my personal opinion. It’s easy to blame all the players but he knows obviously as well as everyone else we do it together, trying to help each and every one of us trying to get out of this.”
Rooney has since doubled down on his comments but admits he has “full respect” for the Liverpool defender.
Speaking on the latest episode of BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show, the England legend said: “Virgil van Dijk’s similar to Salah, you know, over the last five years he’s been one of, if not the best defender in the world, and last year it was hard to say anything bad because they were that good, and he was that good.
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“I’m sure he’ll come out and tell you, he probably hasn’t been at his best this season, if he’s honest with himself. And as captain, your job as captain if things aren’t going right, is to speak to your teammates, call meetings with your teammates, and that’s really what I was saying. You know, as a captain, as a leader, I’m sure he will have been doing that,” he said.
“I’ve got full respect for Virgil. I think he’s a fantastic player. My job now as a pundit is to give my opinions on what I feel. I’m sure if you ask him or Arne Slot, he probably hasn’t been as good as he has been over the last few years. That was my comment which I stick by.”
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Victor Conte, the central figure in one of the biggest performance-enhancing drug scandals in sports history, has died at age 75.
Conte’s company, Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), announced his death in a post on X, saying he had been battling pancreatic cancer.
“We are Heartbroken by the Passing of our Fearless Leader,” the post stated. “We will Honor his Wishes. SNAC and his Legacy will Carry Forward, Strong and Forever. We LOVE you, Conte!”
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Victor Conte, BALCO founder, has passed away at 75 years old. His company, SNAC, announced his death on social media. (IMAGN)
Conte’s prior venture, BALCO, made national headlines in 2003 when federal agents raided the business as well as his Northern California home as part of an investigation into the steroids scandal that rocked multiple sports leagues, most notably Major League Baseball.
He later pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, admitting to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to several high-profile athletes, including Barry Bonds, baseball’s home run king, and Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones.
MARLON BYRD NO QUALMS ABOUT WORKING WITH CONTE
While Conte expressed remorse for his role, he also reflected on his controversial legacy in a Netflix documentary:
“When Marion Jones hit the finish line and won the gold medal, when Barry Bonds hit all these home runs, you know, any of these great accomplishments, those are things that I’ll always be proud of.”
Victor Conte, founder of BALCO speaks with the media at the Federal Courthouse after his sentencing in the BALCO steroid case on October 18, 2005, in San Francisco, California. The case, which brought international attention to the steroid use by athletes, came to a close today with Victor Conte receiving four months jail time and four months of house arrest. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
Conte ended up serving four months in a low-security federal prison in California as part of his sentencing.
Conte’s SNAC developed and sold natural supplements, but he wasn’t completely blackballed from sports. He was an advisor in the boxing world, with clients including Terence “Bud” Crawford and Claressa Shields.
That doesn’t mean Conte didn’t still have detractors, as Crawford’s most recent fight against Canelo Alvarez brought about skeptics who believed he might be cheating with Conte on his team.
“Please don’t stress the negativity of my past too much,” Conte said, via USA TODAY before Crawford’s unanimous victory over Alvarez to make him a three-belt champion.
Founder and president of BALCO, Victor Conte speaks at the “Tribeca Talks: Injecting The American Dream” panel discussion during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival on May 3, 2008 in New York City. (Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)
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Conte was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, but continued working with athletes from his hospital bed in his final months.
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Maryland cruised past Loyola (Maryland), 80-26, making more three-pointers than its opponent did field goals.
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Another sports betting controversy has hit professional sports, this time in mixed martial arts.
The UFC has cut fighter Isaac Dulgarian on Monday, which comes two days after a first-round submission loss to Yadier del Valle at Fight Night in Las Vegas, according to multiple reports.
“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” the promotion told The New York Post in a statement. “Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors wagering on every UFC event and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout on Saturday, November 1. We take these allegations very seriously, and along with the health and safety of our fighters, nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport.”
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Yadier del Valle of Cuba secures a rear choke submission against Isaac Dulgarian in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on Nov. 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Unusual betting activity was flagged for Bulgarian’s fight. Dulgarian, who is now 7-2 in his professional UFC career, was a -250 favorite, but the line moved drastically to -154 leading up to the fight.
Multiple sportsbooks flagged the unusual activity and stopped taking any bets on it before the first-round bell rang. Caesars Sportsbook even offered refunds to anyone who bet on Dulgarian.
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“Mobile customers with losing bets on the Dulgarian UFC fight will receive a cash credit within 24 hours (singles), or within 24 hours of the last leg being determine (Parlay/SGP/Super Parlay) should that bet have won without that leg included,” Caesars Sportsbook posted on X.
(L-R) Christian Rodriguez punches Isaac Dulgarian in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 16, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
DraftKings also told The Post it is “aware of potential concerns” about the fight.
“We are working with our integrity monitors and will provide updates to customers as they become available.
Dulgarian, 29, lost by submission, but commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa were confused what was happening, as they called Del Valle’s finish “white belt stuff,” believing it wasn’t the most complicated stuff.
Making Dulgarian’s situation more interesting are his comments about his belief that fighters should get a cut for bets on bouts.
Isaac Dulgarian returns to his corner after the first round of his featherweight fight against Christian Rodriguez during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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“I said, ‘Don’t bet on me unless you’re paying me some percentage.’ I’m doing all the work, that’s how I feel about it,” Dulgarian told MMA Junkie. “…If you’re betting on me, I want some of it.”
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