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Why do you guys keep putting negative posts about people? You ain't cool if you can't say it to their faces, so stop it.

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Rugby player who swallowed garden slug as dare has died, 8 years after health nightmare began

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Sam Ballard never did anything wrong, if you ask family and friends.

The teenager from Sydney's upper north shore was having a laugh and some red wine with mates in the backyard, "trying to act like grown ups".

It was 2010 and it was a night that would change his life, and the lives of everybody around him, forever.

A slug crawled across the concrete patio and, teens being teens, a dare emerged for Sam to eat it.

One of his best friends, Jimmy Galvin, later described the moment.

"We were sitting over here having a bit of a red wine appreciation night, trying to act as grown up and a slug came crawling across here," he said.

"The conversation came up, you know. 'Should I eat it?' And off Sam went. Bang. That's how it happened."

He didn't become sick immediately, but complained of serious pain in his legs in the days after.

He was worried it might've been a symptom of eating the slug, but his mother told him not to worry: "No-one gets sick from that," she said.

Sam was worried he might have developed Multiple sclerosis, like his father, but that was ruled out.

Doctors later determined Sam was infected with rat lungworm.

The worm that infected Sam is usually found in rodents, but snails and slugs can also become infected when they eat rat feces.

Sam contracted eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis, which many people recover from. Sam didn't.

He fell into a coma for 420 days and when he woke had an acquired brain injury.

Last week, eight years after he fell ill, Sam died. "The Sunday Project's" Lisa Wilkinson broke the news during a somber but brief segment.

"We have some sad news for you now. Earlier this year we brought you the story of Sam Ballard who, on a dare from his mates, ate a slug. He contracted rat lung disease with devastating effects," Wilkinson said.

"His friends have stuck by him ever since. On Friday, Sam passed away, surrounded by his family and loyal, loving mates.

"His last words to his mum: 'I love you'."

Katie Ballard, Sam's mother, described how hard life had been for Sam. He couldn't eat for himself and needed help going to the bathroom.

While he was initially unable to move his limbs, the former Barker College student worked hard to regain some movement.

Katie had said "he understands" everything, and his mates know that was true.

Galvin said he apologized to Sam for not stopping him that night in 2010. When he did, the former rugby standout "just started bawling his eyes out".
Click for more from news.com.au

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Rugby player who swallowed garden slug as dare has died, 8 years after health nightmare began

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Sam Ballard, who ate a slug on a dare while with friends, has died eight years later.

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An 11 year old boy in Arizona shot and killed his grandmother then shot himself - reported by his grandfather to CNN.

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Yoga studio shooting survivor says he fought off gunman with a vacuum and broom.  He saved his and other lives. He had a bloody head from being hit by the gunman's pistol. It was an open fire in the studio.

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The Rams finally get clapped. The Saints defeated the Rams on Sunday leaving the with a standing of 8-1. Now tied with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Julio Jones scores 1st touchdown in 343 days with a 35 yard catch an run

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Atlanta Falcons Rob Goldberg Susan Walsh/Associated Press @TheRobGoldberg Featured Columnist
Fantasy football owners can finally rejoice, as Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones scored his first touchdown of the 2018 season on a 35-yard catch-and-run against the Washington Redskins on Sunday:

As Fox Sports noted, that was Jones' first regular-season trip to the end zone in 343 days.

Jones was already in the midst of an outstanding season. He entered the week with 812 receiving yards, which ranked second in the NFL behind only Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings. He followed it up with 121 receiving yards Sunday in the Falcons' 38-14 blowout win.

Jones' lack of touchdowns has been a talking point all season, especially after he scored only three times last year. Rookie Calvin Ridley scoring his seventh touchdown of the year Sunday didn't help the situation.

Jones put those doubts to rest for the next week after coming through with a touchdown in Week 9.

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Julio Jones Scores 1st Touchdown in 343 Days with 35-Yard Catch-and-Run

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Fantasy football owners can finally rejoice, as Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones scored his first touchdown of the 2018 season on a 35-yard catch-and-run against the Washington ...

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The NFL and Epic Games are teaming up. The creators of Fortnite are going to release some new skins with NFL jerseys.

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The National Football League (NFL) has teamed up with Epic Games, creator of one of the most popular video games in the world, Fortnite.

Beginning Friday, November 9, NFL team "outfits" will be available in the Battle Royale Item Shop. This unique opportunity will give Fortnite players the ability to purchase and customize up to eight outfits representing their favorite NFL teams.

In addition to NFL team outfits, there will be football-themed emotes, harvesting tools, gliders, and even a referee outfit, so players can bring their passion for football into Fortnite.

Once a player owns an NFL team outfit they will be able to choose a uniform from any of the League's 32 teams and customize the jersey with a number of their choice (1-99). The NFL team outfits will be available as both male and female figures and can be customized with a different team/number each time a player uses the outfit in Fortnite.

The NFL team outfits will be available in Fortnite's Battle Royale Item Shop starting November 9 at 7 pm ET.

The agreement represents the first time Epic has partnered on special outfits inside Fortnite, enabling players to blend their passions for games and sports.

"We see the popularity of Fortnite every day at the NFL as many of our players are passionate about this game," said Brian Rolapp, Chief Media and Business Officer at the NFL. "This partnership represents a great opportunity for millions of NFL fans who are Fortnite players to express their fandom inside the game while at the same time exposing our brand to countless others."

"We have so many football fans at Epic and we know a lot of the game's fans share that same enthusiasm," said Mark Rein, co-founder of Epic Games. "Allowing our players to represent their favorite teams in the game was too cool of an opportunity for us to pass up, and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out!"

In Fortnite, NFL team outfits can be purchased from the Battle Royale Item Shop using in-game currency, V-Bucks. Once an NFL team outfit is purchased, it may be viewed and applied in the Locker tab.

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NFL teams up with Epic Games, enters world of 'Fortnite'

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The NFL has teamed up with Epic Games, creator of one of the most popular video games in the world, "Fortnite". Beginning Friday, November 9, NFL team "outfits" will be available in the Battle Royale Item Shop.

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A fisherman rescued a toddler on the coast of New Zealand after spotting the child floating face-down in the water.

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new zealand fisherman saves toddler from sea - cnn

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Fisherman saves toddler floating face-down in the ocean

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Gus Hutt rescued the toddler on the coast of New Zealand, after spotting the child floating in the water.

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A shark critically injured a man on Monday near an island harbor on Australia's Great Barrier reef where two tourists were mauled on consecutive days in September, officials said.
The man suffered "significant leg and wrist injuries" when he was attacked near Cid Harbor on Whitsunday Island off the Queensland state coast, a Queensland Ambulance statement said.

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Interested in Sharks?

Add Sharks as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Sharks news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

A shark has attacked a man near an island harbor on Australia's Great Barrier reef where two tourists were mauled on consecutive says in September.

A Queensland Ambulance statement says the man suffered "significant leg and wrist injuries" when he was attacked on Monday near Cid Harbor on Whitsunday Island off the Queensland state coast.

The man is being taken by helicopter to hospital.

Whitsunday is the largest island in the Whitsunday Islands group, a major international tourist attraction popular with scuba divers and sailors where shark attack s have been relatively rare.

A woman was attacked on Sept. 19 in Cid Harbor and a 12-year-old tourist was attacked in the same harbor the next day.

The last attack in the islands before the latest spate occurred in 2010.

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3rd shark attack off Australian tourist island in 7 weeks

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2 tourists were mauled near Cid Harbor on Whitsunday Island in September.

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Rams finally get clapped. The Saints defeated the Rams on Sunday leaving the with a standing of 8-1. Now tied with the Kansas City Chiefs. .

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Driver who hit Girl Scouts, killing four, was 'huffing' chemicals, police said

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Driver who hit Girl Scouts, killing four, was 'huffing' chemicals, police said

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Colten Treu, 21, fled the scene but later surrendered to authorities, police said.

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Two female tigers in India, one was crushed by a tractor and another was lured in by Calvin Kline colonge

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Two man-eating female tigers were caught and killed in India this weekend - one crushed by villagers using a tractor and the other shot to death after being lured out of her hiding place with a bottle of Calvin Klein cologne, officials said.

Officials at the Dubhwa Tiger Reserve in the Lakhimpur Khiria area said a tigress there killed a farmer late Sunday night and villagers who live inside the core zone of the reserve quickly sought retribution.

Forest officer Kahavir Kaujlagi said Monday the villagers encircled the animal and, when the big cat tried to escape, the villagers crushed her under the wheels of a tractor.

The villagers said the tiger had also injured another person in an attack about 10 days before Sunday's fatal mauling.

Killing a tiger in protected areas is illegal, however, and the Dubhwa Tiger Reserve's director said the case would be registered with police.

On Friday, an infamous man-eating tiger was shot and killed in the western Maharashtra state. The serial killer cat is blamed in the deaths of at least 13 people during the last two years.

Officials said the tiger evaded capture at least four times and had terrified inhabitants living near vast swaths of forest where it mauled herders and farmers, along with cows, goats, and horses.

According to the New York Times, the hunt for the female tiger grew into a sprawling, military-style operation, with hundreds of people and a team of specially trained Indian elephants with sharpshooters mounted on their backs.

To lure the tiger out of her hiding place, officials stirred up a strange brew: Calvin Klein's Obsession cologne mixed with tiger urine.

A few hours after the odd blend was sprayed Friday, the tiger was seen trotting down the road, alerting the team of hunters who rushed to capture the animal.

Officials said the tiger was hit by a bullet in her underside and died on the spot. The Maharashtra tiger did not live in a protected area, authorities said.

Tigers are India's national animal and the tiger is categorized as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Tiger attacks in India are common, with government data from 2017 showing an average of more than one person killed per day in conflict with a wild tiger or elephant during the previous three years. A 2014 census pegged the country's tiger population at 2,226.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Man-eating tiger crushed by tractor, second killer cat lured to death with Calvin Klein cologne in India

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Two man-eating female tigers were caught and killed in India this weekend - one crushed by villagers using a tractor and the other shot to death after being lured out of her hiding place with a bottle of Calvin Klein cologne, officials said.

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Rugby player who swallowed garden slug as dare had died 8 years later. He was outside on the patio with his friends when they were teens they dared him to eat it and several days later he was having pains in his legs. He got infected with "Rat Lungworm". He fell into a coma for 420 days and woke up with a brain injury or something and died.

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Sam Ballard never did anything wrong, if you ask family and friends.

The teenager from Sydney's upper north shore was having a laugh and some red wine with mates in the backyard, "trying to act like grown ups".

It was 2010 and it was a night that would change his life, and the lives of everybody around him, forever.

A slug crawled across the concrete patio and, teens being teens, a dare emerged for Sam to eat it.

One of his best friends, Jimmy Galvin, later described the moment.

"We were sitting over here having a bit of a red wine appreciation night, trying to act as grown up and a slug came crawling across here," he said.

"The conversation came up, you know. 'Should I eat it?' And off Sam went. Bang. That's how it happened."

He didn't become sick immediately, but complained of serious pain in his legs in the days after.

He was worried it might've been a symptom of eating the slug, but his mother told him not to worry: "No-one gets sick from that," she said.

Sam was worried he might have developed Multiple sclerosis, like his father, but that was ruled out.

Doctors later determined Sam was infected with rat lungworm.

The worm that infected Sam is usually found in rodents, but snails and slugs can also become infected when they eat rat feces.

Sam contracted eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis, which many people recover from. Sam didn't.

He fell into a coma for 420 days and when he woke had an acquired brain injury.

Last week, eight years after he fell ill, Sam died. "The Sunday Project's" Lisa Wilkinson broke the news during a somber but brief segment.

"We have some sad news for you now. Earlier this year we brought you the story of Sam Ballard who, on a dare from his mates, ate a slug. He contracted rat lung disease with devastating effects," Wilkinson said.

"His friends have stuck by him ever since. On Friday, Sam passed away, surrounded by his family and loyal, loving mates.

"His last words to his mum: 'I love you'."

Katie Ballard, Sam's mother, described how hard life had been for Sam. He couldn't eat for himself and needed help going to the bathroom.

While he was initially unable to move his limbs, the former Barker College student worked hard to regain some movement.

Katie had said "he understands" everything, and his mates know that was true.

Galvin said he apologized to Sam for not stopping him that night in 2010. When he did, the former rugby standout "just started bawling his eyes out".
Click for more from news.com.au

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Rugby player who swallowed garden slug as dare has died, 8 years after health nightmare began

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Sam Ballard, who ate a slug on a dare while with friends, has died eight years later.

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Ethan Orr, a student at Lauren's Middle School in South Carolina, was sent to the principal's office for an "emerging hole" that was " in his jeans. The principal then called the boy's mother and told her that her only two options were to bring him new jeans or take him home. The family was struggling to make ends meet and he was continually sent home for "clothing imperfections".

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Mom Is Furious After Her Son Is Sent To Principal's Office For 'Emerging Hole' In Jeans

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We've seen a lot of insane dress code regulations in the past few years as students are fighting back against unfair practices, but this one might take the cake.

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Chinese warship warned USS Decatur it would 'suffer consequences' during near-collision in South China Sea.  A Chinese destroyer that closed to within 45 yards of a U.S. Navy ship during a September mission in the South China Sea reportedly warned the American vessel it would “suffer consequences” if it didn’t redirect its course.

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A Chinese destroyer that closed to within 45 yards of a U.S. Navy ship during a September mission in the South China Sea reportedly warned the American vessel it would "suffer consequences" if it didn't redirect its course.

The People's Republic of China destroyer Luoyang delivered the message to the USS Decatur during their September 30 showdown near Gaven Reefs, the South China Morning Post reported Sunday, citing the British Ministry of Defence's transcript of the incident.

"You are on [sic] dangerous course," the Chinese warship warned. "If you don't change course your [sic] will suffer consequences."

The USS Decatur responded: "We are conducting innocent passage."

Stunning video of the incident shows just how close the Chinese destroyer got to the USS Decatur. One official on the U.S. vessel could be heard saying the Chinese ship was "trying to push us out of the way," according to the South China Morning Post.

The destroyer conducted an "an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver," U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman said of the incident in October. He added the Chinese ship conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers that were accompanied by warnings urging the Decatur to depart.

The USS Decatur, a guided-missile destroyer, was conducting a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, a U.S. defense official told Fox News in a statement. The operation was conducted to "uphold the rights and freedoms of all states under international law. Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands," the official said.

China claims the rights to most of the strategic waterway and has built man-made islands on reefs and equipped them with airstrips, radar domes and missile systems.

China opposed the U.S. warship's entry into the waters around the reefs, the Chinese defense ministry said in a statement Tuesday. Chinese officials confirmed it sent the Luoyang to drive the USS Decatur away and urged the U.S. to stop its "provocative" actions.

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Chinese warship warned USS Decatur it would 'suffer consequences' during near-collision in South China Sea

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A Chinese destroyer that closed to within 45 yards of a U.S. Navy ship during a September mission in the South China Sea reportedly warned the American vessel it would "suffer consequences" if it didn't redirect its course.

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An 11-year-old boy shot and killed his grandmother before turning the gun on himself Saturday, the boy's grandfather told police in Arizona. The grandfather told detectives that he and his 65-year-old wife asked their grandson to clean his room and pick up after himself throughout the day, and he was being stubborn about it.

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man tells police 11-year-old grandson killed grandmother

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11-year-old fatally shot grandmother then himself, grandfather tells police

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Police are investigating after an Arizona man said his 11-year-old grandson fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself Saturday.

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One of the men accused in the murder of a Brazilian soccer star says he killed Daniel Correa Freitas because the athlete was trying to rape his wife.

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One of the men accused in the murder of a Brazilian soccer star says he killed Daniel Correa Freitas because the athlete was trying to rape his wife.

Edison Brittes Jr., 38, his wife Cristiana Brittes, and their daughter Allana Brittes, 18, were named suspects in the murder of Freitas, who was found dead last month -- nearly beheaded and with his genitals "severed."

Edison Brittes Jr., revealed his motive for killing Freitas in an interview on Brazilian television, according to the UK Sun. He said the 24-year-old midfielder was attending a birthday party at the family home for Brittes Jr.'s daughter, and, at one point, Freitas went inside a room and locked the door behind him.

"I knocked on the door to my room and when I opened it he was on top of my wife and she was screaming and begging for help," Edison Brittes Jr., said. "What I did was what any man would do, because the woman that was there was not my wife -- she was every woman in Brazil."

He also downplayed rumors that Freitas had a previous relationship with his wife and daughter. Brittes' daughter said she met Freitas a year ago, but never was involved with him, the UK Sun reported.

"When I threw him off my wife, I threw him on the floor and stopped her being raped by that monstrous s----g," Brittes said.

Freitas, who was part of the Sao Paulo FC system - one of the biggest soccer clubs in the country - was found dead Oct. 27, in Sao Jose dos Pinhais in the southern part of the country, police said.

A municipal guard told the local newspaper Band B that Freitas was the victim of "torture."

"From the appearance of the body, it was a very violent situation," the municipal guard told the paper. "The man had two deep cuts on his neck, his head was nearly beheaded, and his genitals were severed."

Freitas was playing on loan from Sao Paulo for second-division Sao Bento, according to ESPN. The midfielder began his career at Botafogo before moving to Sao Paulo in 2015.

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Man accused in brutal murder of Brazilian soccer star says player was trying to rape his wife

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One of the men accused in the murder of a Brazilian soccer star says he killed Daniel Correa Freitas because the athlete was trying to rape his wife.