Sport NFL implements COVID policy changes; Raiders players fined

05:10 06 october 2020

05:10 06 october 2020 Source: profootballrumors.com

Raiders star honors city of Oakland, Al Davis for team’s debut in Las Vegas

Josh Jacobs is paying homage to both Al Davis and the city of Oakland during his team’s first home game as the Las Vegas Raiders . Check out these cleats he’s wearing for “Monday Night Football” against the New Orleans Saints. Josh Jacobs with awesome cleats ahead of #Raiders debut in Las Vegas Monday night. pic.twitter.com/Fao4eOKmHu— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) September 21, 2020 Jacobs pulled out all of the stops with these cleats. Oakland. Las Vegas. Al Davis. You can’t get much more awesome than that. On a related note, whoever designed these cleats has some awesome artistic ability.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all 32 clubs on Monday regarding COVID -19 protocol compliance, and in it In the prior weeks, the league focused on adherence to the league 's protective personal equipment and social distancing policies , threatening fines and forfeiture of draft

As the COVID -19 pandemic affects everyday life in America, the NFL continues to adapt its standards accordingly. NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills made as much clear during a conference call Wednesday while discussing the conversations he's had w.

In response to the growing number of positive COVID-19 tests around the league, the NFL is taking action. In a call with all 32 teams the league office laid out a slew of new policy changes, and sternly warned teams about the consequences of not following them.

In the memo recapping the call, which you can read courtesy of this tweet from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, they laid out some new protocols. The NFL and NFLPA jointly agreed to a “longer onboarding process” for free agent workouts, bans on gatherings outside the team facility, limits on the number of tryouts allowed per week, and the implementation of a “league-wide video monitoring system” to ensure teams are wearing masks and following protocols within their own buildings.

NFL world reacts to Raiders stunning, historic win over the Saints

Now 2-0 on the season following their shocking win on “Monday Night Football,” these Raiders were the talk of the NFL world. New Orleans was coming off a big win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in its opener and looks to be a legit Super Bowl contender in the NFC. While Vegas defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, no one really gave the team much of a chance.Enter into the equation the magic of Las Vegas. That seemed to come into play as the Raiders came back from a 10-0 early deficit to win by the score of 34-24.

NFLPA player representatives voted in favor of adjustments to the Collective Bargaining Agreement caused by the effects of the ongoing COVID -19 "The NFL clubs and the NFL Players Association approved an agreement that broadly resolves all outstanding issues relating to the opening of training

Jon Gruden’s COVID -19 trick. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Gruden decided to play a somewhat dirty trick on his players during a routine team Zoom call last week. As players logged on, they were greeted by assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia instead of

Details were sparse, but it sounds like Roger Goodell will now be watching what is going on within each facility. The line about gatherings outside the facility may have been directed toward the Raiders, who were just slapped with more fines after players were photographed mask-less at a fundraiser hosted by tight end Darren Waller. Waller was fined $30K for the incident, while Derek Carr, Derek Carrier, Zay Jones, Nevin Lawson, Erik Magnuson, Foster Moreau, Nathan Peterman, Hunter Renfrow, and Jason Witten were each fined $15K, according to a tweet from Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

We just got word earlier that the Raiders had been fined $50K after an investigation into unauthorized locker room access, and the team and head coach Jon Gruden were fined hundreds of thousands for mask violations in Week 2.

Report: NFL investigating Raiders for breaking COVID-19 protocol

The NFL is investigating the Raiders for potentially violating coronavirus protocols by allowing a team employee without proper credentials to enter their locker room. The alleged violation took place following Monday night’s big win over the New Orleans Saints. Only 40 employees from each organization are allowed inside the locker room. There are security points to prevent unauthorized people from entering locker rooms, and the NFL believes the Raiders staffer eluded those checkpoints.

The NFL and the Players Association have been investigating the matter since Friday and have The NFL recently investigated the Las Vegas Raiders for possibly breaching the league ’s protocols 24 when the Titans placed cornerback Greg Mabin from their practice squad on the reserve/ COVID -19 list.

The National Football League and its players union continue to negotiate plans around its 2020 season impacted by Covid -19. NFL and players union remain stalled on 2020 plans, future salary cap implications due to Covid -19. Published Wed, Jul 22 20209:22 PM EDTUpdated Thu, Jul 23

Perhaps most significantly, the memo outlines potential extreme punishments for new violations. The memo says that any team that has a COVID-19 protocol violation which results in spreading of the virus that impacts scheduling or other teams may be subject to the loss of draft picks or potential forfeitures of games.

Forfeiting a game would be a truly nuclear option, and the fact that it was even broached shows how serious the league is taking threats to the rest of the season. That would seem to apply to a team like the Titans, which had a true outbreak which has caused the only actual postponement to date. The new free agent workout restrictions could make it harder for veterans on the market to find jobs. This surely isn’t the last we’ve heard on the subject, and we’ll keep you posted whenever anything new comes along.

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Aaron Rodgers seemed to address Danica Patrick breakup

Aaron Rodgers seemed to address his breakup with Danica Patrick in a recent interview. © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Aaron Rodgers seemed to address his breakup with Danica Rodgers was a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” and was asked why he seems to be so much happier and enjoying life. The Green Bay Packers quarterback did not specifically mention Patrick, but talked about why he is enjoying life so much more. He specifically mentioned that his mentality “starts with love.” Why is @AaronRodgers12 having so much fun? Let's hear it #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.

Jon Gruden’s COVID -19 trick. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Gruden decided to play a somewhat dirty trick on his players during a routine team Zoom call last week. As players logged on, they were greeted by assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia instead of

The NFL Players Association revealed on its website that 72 players in the league have already tested positive for COVID -19 as of July 10. None were named specifically, nor was it apparent how many players in a league with nearly 3,000 of them have been screened at this point.

More must-reads:

NFL fines Raiders $50K for another COVID-19 violation
Houston Texans fire head coach and GM Bill O'Brien
The 'Raiders head coaches since Super Bowl XVIII' quiz

Related slideshow: COVID-19 and sports: Latest updates across all leagues (Provided by Yardbarker)

1/19 SLIDES © Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

COVID-19 and sports: Latest updates across all leagues

It's been several months since sports in the United States came to a screeching halt amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the NBA, MLB and NHL seasons suddenly were put on hiatus.Recent UFC bouts, WWE matches, NASCAR races and golf tournaments offered a glimmer of hope, and now the timelines of major sports are finally still being finalized. The NBA, NHL and MLB have announced plans to return to play, but with news breaking so often, we’ve gathered the latest stories fans need to know.
2/19 SLIDES © Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

NBA

Here is what has happened over the last couple of weeks in the NBA:OCTOBER 3With the NBA expecting the 2020-21 season to start this upcoming January at the earliest, the league’s players would likely not participate in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, per commissioner Adam Silver. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the 2020 Olympics to be postponed, thus casting doubt on NBA players being able to participate. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29LeBron James has been through just about every experience an NBA player can possibly have, but he says that playing in the bubble has been the hardest thing he's faced in his 17-year career. "It's probably been the most challenging thing I've ever done, as far as a professional, as far as committing to something and actually making it work," LeBron told reporters. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 26Adam Silver has indicated that the next NBA season will start in January, and that timeline could prevent players from participating in the Summer Games. Slated for this summer, the Olympics in Japan were postponed until July 2021 due to the pandemic. If the start of the 2020-21 NBA season were pushed back to January, it would affect the ability of star players to take part in the international event. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 24The NBA’s bottom eight teams are finally participating in group workouts this week as part of the second phase of the league’s in-market bubble plan to get those clubs some organized offseason activities to tide them over to the 2020-21 season. However, those activities are voluntary and not every player on the bottom eight rosters is in attendance. One of the more notable absences is in New York, where Knicks center Mitchell Robinson isn’t taking part in the team’s minicamp, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley details, Robinson participated in individual workouts last week but will be absent from the group portion of the camp for personal reasons. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 23Kevin Durant disputes the narrative that this year’s NBA champion will lack respect. Durant said that you can’t hold it against the players for winning amid the circumstances. The Brooklyn Nets forward went a step further, saying he thinks this year’s champions will be even more respected. Read more here.The NBA announced plans for a revamped draft combine that will run from Sept. 28 until early to mid-November. Designed to aid with player evaluation before the Nov. 18 draft, some of the combine will take place in team markets and other parts will be virtual. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22While there was initially speculation about the 2020-21 season possibly starting as soon as December, commissioner Adam Silver told Bob Costas his "best guess" is that the season won't begin until 2021. Read more here.From a basketball perspective, the NBA bubble has been an undisputed success. But on a personal level, it has been a more mixed experience for players, as several guys have noted the mental toll taken from having to spend months away from their home and their families. National Basketball Players' Association president Chris Paul spoke on CNN about just how deeply guys were affected by the entire experience. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 18Kevin Love is opening up about the pandemic's effect on his mental health. In a piece published to The Players' Tribune, Love wrote, “Even after all the work I’ve tried to do on myself over the last two-and-a-half years, some days are just brutal." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 16The NBA’s rescheduled draft date of Wednesday, Nov. 18, which had previously been considered tentative, has now been locked in, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 11The NBA reportedly informed its Board of Governors this week that the 2020-21 season won’t begin any earlier than Christmas Day. While starting next season on Dec. 25 – typically one of the biggest days on the NBA’s calendar – might seem ideal, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts isn’t sure it will be possible. Read more here.The NBA confirmed that Rockets forward Danuel House has left the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex bubble site after he violated league guidelines. He will not return. Read more here.The NBA will allow teams to hold in-person interviews with this year’s draft prospects in mid-October, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. For the time being, in-person workouts will still be prohibited, Wojnarowski adds. Read more here.According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league made clear on Thursday’s Board of Governors call that its preference was for in-market games next season. It would like a limited amount of fans to be allowed, and there would likely be reduced travel. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 10The NBA league office informed the Board of Governors on a call that the 2020-21 regular season won’t begin before Christmas Day, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 9According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA has informed teams of a potential revised draft date of Nov. 18. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 8Starting with the conference finals, the NBA will allow coaches and staff to bring guests to Orlando for the remainder of the time in the bubble. Read more here.AUGUST 28Pelicans owner Gayle Benson has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to Amie Just and Ramon Antonio Vargas of NOLA.com. Benson – who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last two weeks, per NOLA.com – is 73 years old, putting her at higher risk of being seriously affected by the virus. It’s not known what symptoms she’s experiencing, but Just and Vargas report that the Pelicans owner is under “daily medical care” and is recovering well. Read more here.AUGUST 25According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "NBA is moving toward pushing back this year's draft, scheduled for Oct. 16, along with Oct. 18 start of free agency, partly because of likelihood that the tentative opening of the 2020-21 season will be delayed from Dec. 1, per sources. Also allows more time to set a salary cap." Read more here.Although Hornets player attendance at the team’s practice facility has been strong, pending free agents and players who are not currently in Charlotte or are concerned about COVID-19-related health risks might not participate in upcoming group practices. But Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports many Hornets players could skip it over COVID concerns. Read more here.AUGUST 21According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is growing support within the NBA and the players union to delay the 2020 NBA Draft and free agency. Both are currently slated to start in mid-October. Read more here.AUGUST 20NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he now expects the league’s previously estimated December 1 start for the 2020-21 season to be pushed back. In explaining his thinking, Silver indicated that he would prefer to have fans be able to attend games in person next season. Read more here.AUGUST 18The NBA could lose nearly $1 billion dollars for playing the postseason without fans in attendance, per Ticket IQ. Read more here.Pacers president Rick Fuson told Indy Star that the 2021 All-Star Game "is unlikely to happen on Presidents’ Day weekend," but it could be postponed. Read more here.LeBron James says that he expects this to be the toughest playoff run of his entire career, telling USA Today: "It's the toughest championship run for me. From the circumstances of just being in here." Read more here.The NBA and the Players’ Association have finalized an agreement that will allow the eight teams that were not invited to Orlando to conduct voluntary group workouts at their team facilities, according to a league press release. Read more here.AUGUST 15The NBA and NBPA funded the development of a saliva-based COVID-19 test by Yale University, and now there's been a breakthrough in its development. According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the FDA issued emergency authorization for public use of the test known as SalivaDirect. The test is designed for widespread public coronavirus screening, and Lowe explains that it'll likely cost consumers between $15-$20. Read more here.Jusuf Nurkic announced on Saturday that his grandmother has died of COVID-19. Read more here.AUGUST 14The 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, originally scheduled to take place during the weekend of Aug. 28-30, has been rescheduled and will now occur on May 13-15, 2021, according to a press release. Read more here.Discussions about organized team activities (OTAs) — including group workouts and scrimmages — for the eight clubs left out of the NBA’s 22-team Orlando restart are ongoing, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who says those talks continue to center on in-market workouts that would start in September. Read more here.The Magic announced center Mo Bamba has left the bubble, will miss the entire NBA playoffs and will undergo a "comprehensive post-coronavirus evaluation." Read more here.The NBA could adopt some form of a play-in round in future seasons. More teams will play in meaningful games toward the end of the campaign. Read more here.AUGUST 13NBPA head Michele Roberts met with several NBA players in Orlando to discuss logistics for next season. Roberts believes the league and union will have to negotiate a new CBA and that it will be easy to do. Next season's start date was also discussed, with several estimates floated. Roberts also believes a bubble will be needed for next season as well. Read more here.AUGUST 12As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the NBA is making contingency plans for next season already. According to reports, the league is considering Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and Dallas as potential bubble cities in which to hold games during the 2020-21 season. Read more here.AUGUST 8Furthermore, because of the potential delayed season, confidence in both American and international NBA players participating in next summer’s Olympics is decreasing. Read more here.
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MLB

Here is the latest MLB news from the past couple of weeks:OCTOBER 2In a joint statement released on Friday, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced that the league has gone 33 consecutive days and counting without a single player testing positive for the coronavirus. Two of the 15,024 samples collected over the past week were positive for the virus. Both of those cases were staff members from the same club. MLB added that players have tested negative for COVID-19 over 41 of the previous 42 days. Read more here.OCTOBER 1The bus driver who drove the Tennessee Titans to their game versus the Minnesota Vikings last weekend also drove the Houston Astros to their playoff series against the Minnesota Twins. The Titans are in the middle of a coronavirus outbreak that caused the NFL to postpone Sunday's game between Tennessee and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 30Major League Baseball is planning to allow up to 11,500 fans to attend the National League Championship Series and World Series held at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29According to The Wall Street Journal, Major League Baseball and its teams lost an estimated $3 billion in revenue due to not being able to play games with fans in attendance. Commissioner Rob Manfred told the WSJ that playing next season without fans in attendance would be “economically devastating.” Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28Trevor Bauer took aim at MLB and suggested that the league is not allowing the families of players on designated road teams to attend playoff games. MLB hasn’t announced anything specific policy-wise on this. Players will be allowed to bring their families into the bubble, but the league had not clarified any rules about them attending games. Bauer seems to have been told that home players will have families attending games, but visiting families will not. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 26The Blue Jays played a majority of their home games this season at Sahlen Field after the Canadian government denied them permission to play in Toronto. There's currently no indication where the Blue Jays will play the 2021 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it appears that Rob Manfred is adamant about having the team play at home next year, saying MLB "will do everything humanly possible to convince the government that the Blue Jays should play in Toronto next year." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 25The Chicago Cubs became one of the first teams to reportedly acknowledge that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to continue to negatively impact fan attendance next year. The Cubs understand that it is unlikely Wrigley Field will be at full capacity at any point during the 2021 MLB season, sources tell Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The realization is said to be based on “advice from medical experts, as well as restrictions because of local ordinances,” Rogers writes. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 23The Phillies signed Greg Bird to a minor league contract Sept. 15, but the first baseman tested positive for the coronavirus upon physical entry after that, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Consequently, the Phillies did not place Bird on their 40-man playoff roster. Fortunately, though, none of the Phillies at the team’s alternate site were exposed to Bird. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports that teams’ 2020 records are “highly likely” to be used to determine the order of the 2021 draft selection. Read more here.Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday that, pending approval by the appropriate authorities, the plan is to allow some fans to attend games at the NLCS and World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Read more here.Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons has begun his offseason early. With Los Angeles on the brink of elimination from playoff contention, the club announced on Tuesday that the 31-year-old has opted out of the remainder of the regular season that finishes this Sunday. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) confirmed on Monday that the highest seed playing in the World Series will serve as the "home team" and receive the final at-bats in Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7. Per an agreement between the league and MLB Players Association, this year's World Series will occur at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the home ballpark of the Texas Rangers, to limit travel between clubs amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.As recently as June, the concept of an expanded Arizona Fall League was under consideration by Major League Baseball. But MLB has now decided to cancel the AFL’s 2020 season, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports. The AFL is the latest baseball league to fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 16Speaking at an online event hosted by Hofstra University this week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he hopes to make the expanded postseason format permanent, adding that he believes the opposition to the universal DH is waning and stating that the extra-inning rule has been received better than he anticipated. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 14According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, MLB is sending a memo to teams this week insisting that clinching celebrations must be socially distant, outdoors and contain no alcohol due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 12Brewers closer Josh Hader is encountering some unique challenges with the 2020 campaign even though it is 102 games shorter than a typical season. Hader opened up about his struggles to find a rhythm in the shortened season. Specifically, the All-Star lefty alluded to having difficulty adjusting to the stop-and-start nature of the last several months. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 10The MLB implemented a new rule for extra innings this season, allowing each half-inning to start with a runner on second base. It's supposed to allow teams to score easier and ideally not have games go on for too long. However, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw made it clear that he is not a fan of the new rules. "It's not real baseball," Kershaw said. "But it's fine for this year and I hope we never do it again." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 3Yoan Moncada says he is still experiencing some struggles since battling COVID-19 earlier this summer: "Definitely my body doesn’t feel the same after the virus." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 2The 2021 MLB Draft will be pushed from June to July 11-13 and take place in conjunction with next year’s All-Star festivities in Atlanta, reports ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The length of next year’s draft still is not set in stone, but it will be longer than this year’s heavily truncated five-round event. Read more here.All-time great New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver has died at the age of 75. The Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that Seaver died peacefully in his sleep due to complications from both Lewy body dementia and COVID-19. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 1Isan Diaz opted out of the 2020 season at the start of August but will now rejoin the Marlins for the stretch run. Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports that both the league and the players union have agreed to let Diaz return. Read more here.AUGUST 28According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the league has informed the MLBPA that it wants playoff-contending teams to quarantine during the final week of the regular season. Players would quarantine in their hotel rooms versus returning to their place of residence. Read more here.According to J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, MLB proposed a “Baseball Cup” that would involve a combination of all MLB and MiLB teams, where 150 teams would compete in a single-elimination tournament, with clubs from Class A theoretically facing MLB squads. Read more here.AUGUST 17MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke with owners from all 30 teams about the remainder of the 2020 season. During that conference call, he made it clear that the United States hasn’t made enough progress for fans to be brought back into stadiums. Read more here.AUGUST 11Liberty Media revealed, via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tim Tucker, that the Braves’ revenue plummeted 95% compared to the same quarter in 2019. The club generated $208 million in revenue from April through June in 2019. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number dropped to $11 million this year. Read more here.AUGUST 10According to SNY’s Andy Martino, MLB executives are now polling teams about canceling the in-person winter meetings and making the event virtual this year. The 2020 winter meetings are currently set to take place in Dallas from Dec. 6-10, but many around the league aren’t entirely comfortable with the situation. Instead, executives would prefer to conduct their business virtually, negotiating with agents and other teams from the comfort of their homes. Read more here.JULY 29Lou Schwechheimer, owner of the Miami Marlins' Triple-A affiliate Wichita Wind Surge, died on Wednesday from complications caused by COVID-19. Schwechheimer was 62 years old. Read more here.
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NHL

Here is what the NHL has been doing over the past couple of weeks to prepare for he league's resumption:OCTOBER 4With the coronavirus pandemic causing the postseason to be played over the summer and into the fall, the league now is faced with questions about when the 2020-21 campaign will start. According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was informed to be prepared for the start of training camp to open on Nov. 15. Teams are usually given about a month to prepare for the upcoming season through training camp and preseason games. If the NHL indeed is aiming for a November start, then the 2020-21 campaign could begin as early as December. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 24On Thursday, the NHL unveiled protocols for offseason training ahead of the 2020-21 regular season that will be held amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among the rules, NHL clubs are permitted to open in-market training facilities on Oct. 15 for voluntary workouts. At least five players must notify a team about intentions to train before the club opens its facilities, and a maximum of 12 players are permitted on the ice at the same time. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 19Gary Bettman revealed in his annual state of the league address ahead of the Stanley Cup Final between the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning that the 2020-21 season could begin as late as January. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 18While the league has held firm on its desire to begin the new season before the end of the calendar year and to play a full 82-game schedule, doubts are starting to creep in about how this can be arranged as COVID-19 continues to be prevalent in North America. Even deputy commissioner Bill Daly recently stated that he does not know for sure when and how the league will return to regular-season play, though he did say that a start date prior to Dec. 1 is more unlikely than not. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 14Goaltender Ryan Miller explained that if the NHL moves to full-season bubbles it wouldn’t be fair to him or his family for him to sign up and leave for nine months, a notion that is likely shared by many around the league. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 11TSN’s Frank Seravalli writes the Sabres are planning to enforce an internal salary cap in the low $70M range, potentially putting payroll $10M under the $81.5M salary-cap ceiling due to financial difficulties caused by the pandemic. Read more here.The NHL announced that the 2020 NHL Draft will take place on Oct. 6-7 rather than Oct. 9-10 as originally thought. NHL free agency, meanwhile, will now open Oct. 9 at noon ET. Read more here.AUGUST 21The Arizona Coyotes are yet another professional sports franchise to have laid off and furloughed staff members because of financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) was able to confirm the cuts, the Coyotes didn't announce how many staff members lost their jobs or which departments within the franchise were affected by the decisions. Read more here.AUGUST 10As had been expected, the 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony scheduled for Nov. 16 in Toronto has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the Hall will further discuss rescheduling ideas on Oct. 29. Chairman Lanny McDonald added that a virtual ceremony won't be considered and that the in-person event could be moved to November 2021. Read more here.JULY 30The American Hockey League, the NHL's primary developmental league, has announced a tentative start date for the 2020-21 campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic: Dec. 4. Read more here.
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NFL

The NFL season has officially kicked off, with the Chiefs winning the first game of the season. Coaches and officials wearing masks during the games was certainly a sight to behold. As the NFL hopes the season continues without issues, we'll bring you the latest updates from the league:OCTOBER 5After multiple days with no other positive tests between the Patriots and Chiefs, the two sides are set to get underway on Monday night. The Patriots team buses were seen shuttling players to the airport on Monday morning, signaling that the game at Arrowhead Stadium will be played. Read more here.Tennessee reported zero new positive tests on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, signaling that there's some hope the Titans will be able to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Read more here.Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller was fined $30,000 and several teammates were fined $15,000 each for attending Waller's recent charity event without wearing masks. Quarterback Derek Carr is one Las Vegas player known to have received a fine. Read more here.The NFL is further strengthening its protocols to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks around the league. Among the new protocols put in place are restrictions on weekly tryouts and a ban on gatherings outside club facilities. The league even plans to use video to ensure that the protocols are being adhered to. Read more here.ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has threatened to strip draft picks or even force forfeits of games for future violations of health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.OCTOBER 4Two more members of the Titans organization tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the team's total to 18. The NFL and NFL Players Association are reportedly investigating whether the Titans violated the league's coronavirus protocols, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Read more here.With the Titans experiencing a coronavirus outbreak and the potential for the Patriots and Chiefs to experience a similar fate, the NFL is taking action. The league is set to conduct a coronavirus "accountability, learnings and requirements" conference call with teams on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Read more here.The postponed Patriots-Chiefs game will kick off at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday night. Read more here.Discussions about playing games in a postseason bubble have picked up for the NFL internally, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The most viable plan would involve the two conference championship games being played in a bubble. Read more here.Cam Newton could potentially miss multiple games after he tested positive for the coronavirus this week, but he is maintaining a positive attitude. Newton took to Instagram on Sunday to post an optimistic message about getting himself healthy and being grateful. Read more here.Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Patriots are planning to travel to Missouri in two planes. One plane will carry 20 people from the organization that had close contact with Cam Newton, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday morning. The other plane will have the rest of the players and traveling party. Read more here.OCTOBER 3The Tenessee Titans, who are off this week due to a coronavirus outbreak within their organization, may not play next week against the Buffalo Bills, either. One more player and two more staff members within the Titans organization have tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.We might know who one of those positive tests belongs to. The Titans have placed one of their starters on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons joins at least eight of his teammates on the list. Read more here.Cam Newton has tested positive for the coronavirus. New England has been doing mass testing and re-testing and so far the virus has not spread. Read more here.As a result of Cam's positive test result, the NFL has decided to make an important, but necessary move out of an abundance of caution: Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs has been postponed. The game could now be played on either Monday or Tuesday. Read more here.Kansas City's scout team quarterback, Jordan Ta'amu, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald revealed how much easier fanless games have become in 2020. Fitzgerald said the lack of crowd noise allows the offense to more easily make changes, but it’s also simpler to hear the defensive adjustments. Read more here.With the Titans experiencing an outbreak and the possibility of the Patriots and Chiefs to also experience a similar fate, players across the NFL had one simple message to relay: Wear a mask. Read more here.The NFL now is faced with questions about how to proceed with the remainder of the season. Protocols could become more strict, but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports that the league is willing to put teams in hotels for the remainder of the season in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. Florio adds that the only question with that idea is whether or not the NFL Players Association would agree to such a plan. Read more here.The Raiders were fined $50,000 for allowing the unauthorized employee into the locker room, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Read more here.OCTOBER 2The Tennessee Titans' Week 4 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak within the organization, and now two more players have tested positive, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Seven players and six staff members within the Titans organization have now tested positive for the virus. Read more here.The NFL and NFL Players Association reached an agreement to extend the league’s daily coronavirus testing program indefinitely. There was previously a plan in place where daily testing would end if the positive test rate fell below a certain threshold, but daily testing will now continue regardless. The policy also calls for players and coaches to remain in their home cities during by weeks. Read more here.The Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers have the week off after multiple members within the Tennessee organization tested positive for the coronavirus this week. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the game between the Titans and Steelers now will be played during Week 7 on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. ET. Read more here.OCTOBER 1The game between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers will not be played in Week 4. The league has indefinitely postponed the game after an additional Titans player and personnel member tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. Week 7 seems like the most realistic time for the game to be played. Read more here.Shortly after that news surfaced, Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward took to Twitter to voice his frustration. "Man is this a bye week or not?" he tweeted. Read more here.The bus driver who drove the Tennessee Titans to their game versus the Minnesota Vikings last weekend also drove the Houston Astros to their playoff series against the Minnesota Twins. Read more here.Due to the coronavirus pandemic, neither Washington nor the Ravens have had fans in the stands for their home games. But that could change at some point this season. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is opened to allowing fans to attend both teams’ home games. Read more here.The Titans added another player to their reserve/COVID-19 list. They placed cornerback Kristian Fulton on the list, where he joins five other players. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 30Raiders owner Mark Davis is investigating why several players who attended Darren Waller's charity event in Henderson were not wearing masks, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. They violated Nevada's rules for the coronavirus pandemic and could have violated the NFL's protocols. Read more here.The NFL conducted its latest round of coronavirus tests on Tuesday following news that three players and five staffers with the Tennessee Titans tested positive. One more Titans player has tested positive for COVID-19. No players with the Minnesota Vikings, who hosted Tennessee on Sunday, tested positive. Read more here.Given the latest news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans will not play on Sunday after multiple players and personnel members with the Titans tested positive for the coronavirus this week. The game has been postponed. The NFL is still considering all options and conducting more COVID-19 tests, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has been told the plan is to play the game either Monday or Tuesday. Read more here.NFL insider Paul Kuharsky tweeted that the CBS broadcast crew was informed the Steelers will play the Titans on Monday night. This report matches rumors that surfaced on Tuesday about the contest. Read more here.Titans head coach Mike Vrabel doesn't want anyone blaming a particular person within the club for the outbreak. Per Aditi Kinkhabwala, some members of the team are experiencing flu-like symptoms but nothing unusual. Vrabel also confirmed he wasn't one of the five staff members to test positive. Read more here.The league sent another strongly worded memo to team executives, general managers and head coaches on Wednesday, telling them to comply with the game-day protocols that include wearing face masks on the sidelines. If they don't comply, the league may confiscate draft picks as a punishment. The NFL reminded teams last week to follow its guidelines to help stop and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The new protocol states that anyone who has access to the sidelines must wear a mask that fits across the nose and mouth to prevent transmission of the virus. Read more here.The Vikings plan to reopen their practice facility on Thursday. In order for the Vikings to get back into their facility, they'll enact enhanced protocols, including better health screenings, temperature checks and protective equipment with masks and social distancing required at all times. Read more here. John Harbaugh thinks some of the expectations regarding coaches wearing masks need to be taken into context. The Baltimore Ravens coach was seen with his mask not covering his mouth at times on Monday night, including during an argument with an official over a penalty. Harbaugh acknowledged that but said it was unrealistic to suggest that there would be no moments where a mask might fall down briefly. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29The Tennessee Titans have stopped all in-person work and shut down team facilities after several players and team personnel tested positive for COVID-19. In a released statement, the NFL and NFLPA confirmed the news, stating that three players and five personnel tested positive. The Vikings, who played against the Titans on Sunday, also shut down their facilities, though no positive tests have been reported by the team. Read more here.Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the league could move the game between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers to Monday night to allow for additional testing and also buy some time to assess the outbreak. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28When he was asked about what it was like to play in an empty Superdome, Aaron Rodgers gave an honest answer, revealing that the lack of crowd noise played a role in helping his squad start the season 3-0. Read more here.The Tennessee Titans improved to 3-0 on Sunday via a 31-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings without outside linebackers coach and defensive play-caller Shane Bowen. Bowen returned a positive COVID-19 test on Saturday before the Titans traveled to Minnesota and was placed in the coronavirus protocol. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 27The Raiders are under NFL investigation for allowing an unauthorized team employee to enter their locker room following Monday's win over the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The league is trying to determine if discipline is necessary for the unauthorized employee who sneaked past security checkpoints and into the team's locker room. Read more here.All the NFL coaches who were fined for not wearing masks have appealed, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Vic Fangio, Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan and Pete Carroll are the coaches appealing the $100,000 fines they received last week. Their respective teams — Broncos, Raiders, Saints, 49ers and Seahawks — were fined $250,000 each for the coaches' actions. Read more here.Gruden doesn't want to get fined again, so he wore a mask during the Raiders' game against the New England Patriots. But it looked more like a G-string than a face covering. See the tiny mask here.The Patriots have not been allowed to host fans during their first two home games of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it seems like that may soon change. According to Ian Steele of ABC6 News, social distancing markers have been set up around Gillette Stadium, signaling that fans may soon be welcomed back. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 26The Buccaneers revealed plans on Saturday to host fans for the remainder of the 2020 season at Raymond James Stadium. Buccaneers season pass members with continuous membership since 1998 or earlier will have the initial opportunity to purchase a limited amount of tickets beginning Oct. 1, which will be for the team's Week 4 matchup against the Chargers. In their next home game on Oct. 18 against the Green Bay Packers, seating at Raymond James Stadium will be held at 25% capacity. Read more here.The Falcons placed cornerback A.J. Terrell on the reserve/COVID list Saturday. Players do not have to test positive to land on the list, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com points to this news happening because of a Friday positive test. Terrell is the first NFL player to miss a game due to COVID. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 25The NFL is adjusting its rules and regulations regarding the playing of artificial crowd noise in stadiums. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league will no longer mandate that stadiums with 2,500 fans or more in attendance play the crowd noise. Stadiums with fewer fans than that will be allowed to play the audio up to 80 decibels, an increase from the previous limit of 70. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 23Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin pointed out this week that he has no issue with wearing masks during games, as well as how he doesn’t have much to add to the conversation surrounding his head-coaching colleagues failing to adhere to league-mandated safety standards. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22After levying serious fines to teams and coaches for not adhering to mask guidelines, commissioner Roger Goodell said it's vital to the league to come down hard on those ignoring the rules in place to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Read more here.Jon Gruden says he actually did contract the coronavirus over the summer, contrary to what some reports may have claimed at the time. Read more here.Via a joint statement from the NFL and NFL Players Association, the bodies confirmed that 14,074 coronavirus tests administered to players from Sept. 13-19 returned zero positive results. Over that same period, 22,590 tests administered to 5,407 personnel returned five positives. Read more here.Some Atlanta Falcons fans will be able to see their favorite team play a home game in-person in less than a month. In an official statement, the club said: "The NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer announce that both teams will play games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) with fans in limited capacity and following league protocols beginning with the Falcons' home game vs. the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 11. Team and stadium officials made this decision based on several factors including the recent decline in COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia. Team officials will continue to collaborate with national and local health officials and reserve the right to return to play without fans should current conditions related to the global pandemic change." Additionally, 500 "friends, family and associates" will be welcomed to this Sunday's game between the Falcons and Chicago Bears played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is to serve as a test of health and safety protocols and operations.Jon Gruden and Sean Payton were both fined $100,000 for not wearing masks during “Monday Night Football.” Their respective teams, the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints, also received $250,000 fines. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21Brett Favre made a surprise appearance at Sunday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and one Bucs player isn’t thrilled about it. Like most NFL teams, the Buccaneers are not allowing fans to attend home games at this point. An exception was made for Favre, who was spotted at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday supporting Tom Brady. That did not sit well with Bucs center Ryan Jensen, who wanted to know why Favre was allowed in when his family isn't. Read more here.The NFL on Monday handed out more than $1 million in fines to three head coaches and their respective teams over masks. Pete Carroll, Kyle Shanahan and Vic Fangio each were fined $100,000 for not wearing masks. Their respective teams, the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, were each fined $250,000 for the matter. Altogether, that is $1,050,000 in fines. Read more here.Furthermore, Sean Payton and Jon Gruden could be headed for fines as well. Both Gruden and Payton were seen with their masks/face coverings near their neck on the sidelines during “Monday Night Football.” Read more here.SEPTEMBER 20Zero players or coaches tested positive for the coronavirus between Week 1 and Week 2, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Read more here.The NFL's senior vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, was not in the league's replay office last week for the beginning of the season, and now we know why. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Riveron missed Week 1 because he was home in Miami battling the coronavirus. Read more here.Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya, missed Sunday's game due to the coronavirus. The two came into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus and are quarantining. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 17Odell Beckham Jr. did not plan on spending most of 2020 in quarantine, but the Browns receiver said that the experience actually turned out to be a positive for him. Read more here.The Tennessee Titans announced that they will allow fans to attend their three home games in October and may continue to increase capacity later in the season. Read more here.Ten fans who attended the Chiefs' home opener have been told to quarantine for 10 after coming into contact with a fan who tested positive for COVID-19. The fan who tested positive reportedly was in box seats, and the 10 fans who were in the same "pod" are being asked to quarantine for 10 days. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 15The NFL released a memo reminded coaches that they must wear their masks at all times during games and threatened to punish anyone who does not comply. The memo did not name any coaches specifically, but Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said he was pretty sure he was the target audience. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 7Roger Goodell spoke with Peter King of NBC Sports and said the league is prepared for a scenario in which every team does not complete its 16-game schedule because of the coronavirus. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 3NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that he is "confident" that the NFL will be able to play out the entirety of the season as scheduled. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 2Kirk Cousins doesn't sound the least bit worried about potentially contracting the deadly coronavirus. The Vikings quarterback is completely on board with playing football amid the pandemic, and COVID-19 seems to be the least of his worries. On a scale of 1-10, Cousins said his level of concern is at ".000001." Read more here.
5/19 SLIDES © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Golf

The latest from the world of golf since competition resumed:SEPTEMBER 24The European Tour has reversed course and announced that the Scottish Open held at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian that was postponed from July to Oct. 1-4 due to the coronavirus pandemic won't welcome fans. Read more here.1989 Open Championship winner Mark Calcavecchia played a round of golf on Thursday for the first time since he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 6. He described his ordeal battling the coronavirus, saying, per Bob Harig of ESPN: "It's the worst I ever felt. Every bone in my body hurt." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 16PGA Tour of Australasia Tournaments director Nick Dastey confirmed that the Australian PGA Championship has been postponed until at least February 2021 due to concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 14Englishman Sam Horsfield became the second player to withdraw from the upcoming U.S. Open due to a positive coronavirus test. The 23-year-old confirmed the news and explained he is asymptomatic via a statement he released on Twitter. Scottie Scheffler returned a positive at-home test and withdrew from the U.S. Open on Sunday. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 3Professional golfer Kevin Kisner, who serves as a player director on the PGA Tour's policy board, believes the Tour could begin welcoming fans to events in early 2021. Per Bob Harig of ESPN, Kisner updated the Tour's stance regarding spectators on Thursday while speaking at East Lake Golf Club, home of the Tour Championship: "I think the start of the new year, we'll probably transition into trying something." Read more here.AUGUST 12After being postponed in April due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Masters Tournament has been rescheduled to be played Nov. 12-15 without fans in attendance. The event was announced by Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley, who made it clear that "the health and safety of everyone associated with the Masters always has been our first and most important priority." Read more here.JULY 19Golf legend Jack Nicklaus revealed that he and his wife, Barbara, battled COVID-19 earlier this year, per Golf Digest's Brian Wacker. Barbara did not experience symptoms, while the 80-year-old Nicklaus said he had a sore throat and a cough but was not symptomatic for very long. Read more here.
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NASCAR

What's the latest from the world of NASCAR:AUGUST 15Austin Dillon will not be competing in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Dillon has tested positive for the coronavirus, Richard Childress Racing announced Sunday. Read more here.JULY 16Over 20,000 fans were in attendance at Wednesday night's NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway to watch fan-favorite Chase Elliott pull off another win. The event is believed to have the highest attendance of any sporting event in America since the pandemic began. Read more here.JULY 10Jimmie Johnson was forced to miss a race for the first time in his career following a positive coronavirus test, and he expressed his confusion with the whole situation, as he never had any symptoms and tested negative just three days later. "My first response was just anger. I started cussing and used every cuss word that I knew of and I think invented a few new ones," Johnson said. "It was just so weird — the anger — because I've been asymptomatic. Anger hits. Read more here.JUNE 30The pandemic has forced NASCAR to cancel Champions Week and the 2020 Cup Series Awards, originally scheduled for early December in Nashville.
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NCAA athletics

Several conferences have announced that fall sports are canceled, the biggest among them being the Big Ten and Pac-12. However, the B1G and Pac-12 reversed course and will play fall football after all. Meanwhile, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are holding steadfast in playing fall sports. Here is the fallout from the most recent news from the NCAA:OCTOBER 5Legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden recently tested positive for the coronavirus, but fortunately he is said to be doing well. The 90-year-old says he is feeling well and tested positive after spending time in the hospital for a leg infection. Read more here.Oregon senior cornerback Deommodore Lenoir announced on Monday that he's opting back in and will play for the Ducks during the 2020 college football season despite concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.The Arizona Wildcats confirmed that football head coach Kevin Sumlin has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 56-year-old is not yet experiencing any symptoms and has entered self-isolation. Read more here.OCTOBER 3The Pac-12 Conference finally unveiled its 2020 football schedule on Saturday. See the schedule here.The beginning of the college football season saw many huge upsets. Urban Meyer thinks he knows why. Meyer also predicted more surprises once Big Ten season gets underway, and chalked them up to routines being consistently disrupted due to COVID-19. Read more here.OCTOBER 2Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach Ryan Day told reporters on Friday that some of his coaches aren't living in their homes this fall as they prepare for the Big Ten season held amid the coronavirus pandemic. Day added that coaches aren't required to isolate away from family members but that some have chosen to do so as a precaution. Read more here.As the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) noted, ESPN Events have canceled the Hawaii Bowl and Bahamas Bowl because of travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. College basketball tournaments in Hawaii and the Bahamas have also been called off. Read more here.OCTOBER 1Appalachian State confirmed on Thursday that next Wednesday's game versus Louisiana has been postponed due to positive coronavirus test results and contact tracing. The schools are looking to reschedule the postponed game for Dec. 4 or 5. Read more here.ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on Thursday that the Patriot League will cancel nonconference basketball games for 2020. It's expected the Patriot League will conduct an 18-game conference schedule that begins in January. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 30Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed on Wednesday that star linebacker Micah Parsons won't opt back in. Parsons will forgo one more collegiate season and continue to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Read more here.ESPN's Heather Dinich reported on Wednesday afternoon that the College Football Playoff won't expand from four to eight teams for the 2020 season widely altered by the coronavirus pandemic. Dinich wrote that Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott suggested the expansion that was not approved by the CFP management committee. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29Arkansas State football coach Blake Anderson told reporters that he was directly affected by the coronavirus outbreak that cost the team back-to-back scheduled games. Anderson added that he has recovered since testing positive on Sept. 16. Read more here.The University at Buffalo paused team activities for football, volleyball and women’s soccer after at least 25 student-athletes from those programs tested positive for the coronavirus, and 19 of the athletes who tested positive are football players. Buffalo is targeting Oct. 5 as a resumption date for those teams. Read more here.On Monday, Notre Dame announced that 18 football players tested positive for coronavirus, with the team putting 25 players in isolation and an additional 14 in quarantine due to contact tracing. Head coach Brian Kelly said that a pregame meal before the team's 52-0 win over South Florida on Sept. 19 may have been the culprit. Read more here.The South Alabama Jaguars announced that Saturday's scheduled game against Troy has been postponed "due to precautionary measures concerning the availability of student-athletes." South Alabama also temporarily paused football workouts. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported the school's decision is related to COVID-19 concerns. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28To account for the lost Sept. 19 game versus the Charlotte 49ers, the North Carolina Tar Heels announced on Monday that the program will host the Western Carolina Catamounts on Dec. 11. Read more here.Mike Norvell confirmed to reporters that he'll return to practice on Tuesday and coach FSU vs. Jackson St. after missing nearly two weeks of in-person work due to testing positive for COVID-19. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 25Days after Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack suggested his program should face rivals Kentucky at a neutral site due to unavoidable complications and restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Kentucky's John Calipari made it clear he wants things to remain as scheduled. Read more here.The SEC unveiled planned start dates for men's and women's college basketball conference seasons set to occur amid the coronavirus pandemic. Men's teams will begin league schedules on Dec. 29 and 30, while women's programs will start conference seasons on Dec. 31. Read more here.The Mid-American Conference announced Friday afternoon that it will hold a fall football season that begins on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and consists of schools playing six league games. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 24The Colorado Buffaloes football team, along with all other athletics programs at the university, has been shut down for a minimum of two weeks due to a County of Boulder order that prohibits large gatherings of university students aged 18-22 and begins at 4 p.m. Thursday local time. Read more here.Add Purdue star wide receiver Rondale Moore to the list of players who have returned to collegiate programs and will participate in the fall football season held amid the coronavirus pandemic, as he announced that he has opted back in. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 23One day after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish postponed Saturday's game against Wake Forest due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, the Atlantic Coast Conference confirmed that the game has been moved to Dec. 12. Additionally, Wake Forest's Oct. 9 matchup against Campbell was rescheduled to Oct. 2. Read more here.Furthermore, South Florida's game versus Florida Atlantic has been called off. Both programs confirmed the news later in the day and added that they're working on a makeup date this fall. Read more here.North Texas confirmed that Saturday's game at Houston has been called off due to four positive COVID-19 cases within the Mean Green program. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22The Mountain West is reportedly "optimistic" that it will be able to begin its season in October, barring any unexpected setbacks. Oct. 24 is the planned start date for the conference which includes Air Force, San Diego State, Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State, UNLV, Fresno State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Colorado State, Nevada and New Mexico. The conference title game will be played on Dec. 19 and the season will be an eight-game schedule that is completely in-conference, which is similar to what other major conferences are doing this season. Read more here.Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz told reporters that five football players previously sidelined because of inconclusive COVID-19 tests have since returned negative tests and can play against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Saturday's season opener for both programs. Seven Missouri players are still out for that contest. Not all tested positive for the virus, per Drinkwitz. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21The University of Massachusetts announced on Monday that it has reversed course and now plans to "play a limited number of football games this fall." UMass, an independent football program, originally canceled its fall season on Aug. 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 19We finally have our first look at the Big Ten's 2020 football schedule. See the slate here.Florida State coach Mike Norvell will not coach the Seminoles' next game after testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement, Norvell said he was surprised by the positive test and was isolated from his family. Deputy head coach Chris Thomsen would coach in Norvell’s absence. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 18Add the Louisville Cardinals to the list of college basketball programs embracing isolated bubble sites for nonconference play. On Friday, Louisville coach Chris Mack tweeted that the program wishes to face between three and five teams from Nov. 25 through Dec. 5 in a format that could include anywhere from eight to 12 schools. Read more here.Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield has opted back in and plans to play for Michigan when the Big Ten begins its season on the weekend of Oct. 23-24. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 17The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) unveiled its plans for campaigns. Per the league's official statement, the conference expects these models will be approved by the NCAA board of directors at a Sept. 22 meeting. Men's and women's teams will tip off for non-conference games on Nov. 25 and play non-league competition through Dec. 6 and again on Dec. 22-23. Men's conference slates begin on Dec. 8, while women's conference schedules commence the following day. The men will play conference games on Tuesdays and Fridays, while the women will take courts for Wednesday and Saturday fixtures. Read more here.Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade, who opted out when he thought there would be no fall Big Ten football season, told ESPN and announced via Twitter that he has returned to the Buckeyes. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 16The Big Ten season will begin the weekend of Oct. 24 and is contingent upon a daily, rapid COVID-19 testing system being implemented. Read more here.Furthermore, per Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, USC has been leading the charge on California loosening restrictions. Read more here.Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis took to Twitter to declare his desire to play after previously opting out. Read more here.ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on Wednesday that the men's and women's basketball seasons have been cleared for Nov. 25 starts in a vote held by the NCAA Division I Council. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 15Orlando is reportedly set to host eight college basketball tournaments this fall. The Champions Classic is scheduled to be the first tournament played in Orlando, followed by the Jimmy V Classic, Preseason NIT, Orlando Invitational, Myrtle Beach Invitational, Charleston Classic, Wooden Legacy and Diamond Head Classic. The games are expected to be played with no fans in attendance, like what the NBA has done in its bubble. Read more here.LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron revealed surprising news about the defending national champions on Tuesday. As Alex Scarborough of ESPN noted, Orgeron told reporters that "most" of his players have already caught the coronavirus. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 14The Athletic's Brody Miller reported on Monday that LSU defensive lineman Neil Farrell has returned to team facilities and is planning to play in the 2020 college season after he opted out on Aug. 8 due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 11On Friday, the Big 12 Conference announced a partnership with Virtual Care for Families for rapid day-prior-to-competition coronavirus testing. Student-athletes, coaches, and other necessary personnel will all fall under this new program that offers 15-minute results and batch testing capabilities. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 10The NCAA is not looking into expanding its March Madness tournament in the spring despite this year's tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, momentum for an "all-inclusive tournament" began to build as Coach K and other ACC coaches were interested in a tournament that would involve every D-I school. However, the NCAA made it clear that was not what they were interested in doing. Read more here.The Hockey Commissioners Association announced on Thursday that the starts of NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey seasons will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nov. 20 was mentioned as a potential date for the beginning of campaigns in the official statement. Read more here.Stanford Cardinal offensive tackle Walker Little announced via the program's official website that he is beginning preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft and skipping a final college season. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 9Oregon senior cornerback Deommodore Lenoir announced via Twitter that he intends to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Per Pro Football Focus, Lenoir could become more of a coveted asset closer to the draft even if he won't be selected in the first round. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 3Parth Upadhyaya of the Centre Daily Times reports that Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Wayne Sebastianelli said during a Monday State College Area school board of directors meeting that 30%-35% of Big Ten athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 appeared to also contract myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 2Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman has become the latest big-name player to opt out of the 2020 college football season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.AUGUST 31Last week, the NCAA filed to trademark the phrase “Battle in the Bubble,” according to Darren Rovell of Action Network. The NCAA would intend to use it on tournaments not exclusive to basketball, as well as on apparel. There is no clear indication what the trademark would specifically be used for. In fact, it may just be the NCAA covering its bases in case it’s needed. Read more here.
8/19 SLIDES © Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Tennis

Here is what has happened most recently in the world of tennis:OCTOBER 5Tennis living legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer confirmed that they will participate in the 2021 Australian Open despite concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 30Spaniard and former top-10 player Fernando Verdasco has told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that he wants to sue the French Open over the alleged "false positive" coronavirus test result that caused him to be dropped from this year's tournament. Read more here. SEPTEMBER 28An unnamed women's doubles player was removed from the French Open main draw because she had contact with a coach who returned a positive COVID-19 test. In total, six individuals, including a different anonymous woman, were withdrawn from the tournament because of coronavirus concerns. Three tested positive for the virus, while the other three had direct contact with a coach who tested positive. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 25For the second consecutive week, the French Open had its daily capacity dropped because of the coronavirus pandemic that's worsening throughout the country. Two days before the scheduled start of the tournament's main draw, an order from Prime Minister Jean Castex lowered the Roland-Garros site capacity from 5,000 to 1,000. In an official statement, the French Tennis Federation declared that ticket holders still willing to attend the tournament will be contacted for a special draw. Read more here.Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka admitted that she's apprehensive about playing in front of spectators at the French Open amid the coronavirus pandemic that's worsening throughout Paris and other parts of France. Read more here.Former top-10 player Fernando Verdasco took to Twitter on Friday to explain that what he believes to be a "false positive" coronavirus test caused him to be dropped from this year's French Open. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21Per an Associated Press (h/t ESPN) report, an unnamed woman was dropped from the French Open field on Monday after she tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the start of qualifying for the main draw. That person is isolating for a minimum of seven days. Qualifying begins on Tuesday, with matches in the main draw set to begin Sept. 27. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 18After hoping to allow "50-60% of the usual capacity" as recently as a couple of weeks ago, the French Tennis Federation announced that the Roland Garros site will have a reduced capacity of 5,000 spectators during the upcoming French Open because of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 17While the ATP St. Petersburg Open is still set to occur from Oct. 12-18, it was announced on Thursday that the ATP and WTA Kremlin Cup events scheduled to be held in Moscow have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement shared by the WTA, the organization explained: "Cancellation of the ATP 250 event, scheduled to run from Oct. 19-25, and the WTA Premier event, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, follows a recent increase in the COVID-19 infection rate in Moscow." Read more here.SEPTEMBER 9The U.S. Open is one of many sporting events that is being held without fans, and John McEnroe seems to be having a difficult time making the most of it. McEnroe said calling matches at the U.S. Open without fans has been “completely bizarre and surreal.” The four-time U.S. Open winner spoke with Marc Berman of the New York Post about how both commentators and competitors use the buzz from the fans to help them do their jobs. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 7According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), spectators will be allowed to attend the French Open this month despite an uptick in the number of coronavirus cases in France. In order to follow the government's latest coronavirus guidelines, the event will only allow 5,000 fans per day at the larger courts while the smaller court will host 1,500 spectators per day. French Open organizers originally wanted to host 20,000 spectators per day, but that currently isn't feasible amid the ongoing pandemic. Read more here.AUGUST 27Kei Nishikori, who fell to Marin Cilic in the 2014 US Open Final, dropped out of this year's edition of the tournament despite testing negative for the coronavirus following multiple positive tests. Read more here.AUGUST 21Serena Williams, chasing a historic 24th career Grand Slam that would tie her with Margaret Court, is self-isolating at a rental house for the US Open "bubble" meant to prevent exposure to the coronavirus. Read more here.AUGUST 20Even though tennis players and other personnel are isolating in a "bubble" ahead of and during the U.S. Open, tournament director Stacey Allaster admitted to ESPN's D'Arcy Maine that the coronavirus pandemic could eliminate the anticipated event from the calendar, saying: "If at any time we don't feel that level of confidence that we have today, then we'll make a very easy call." Read more here.AUGUST 17Simona Halep confirmed on Monday that she won't play in the 2020 U.S. Open due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.AUGUST 4Defending U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal announced via Twitter that he will skip this year's edition of the tournament due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.JULY 30Ashleigh Barty, currently the no. 1-ranked women's tennis player in the world, announced that she will not participate in the U.S. Open next month due to safety concerns. The 24-year-old Australian made the announcement, explaining that she felt uncomfortable about traveling in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.JULY 2The French Open is planning to have fans in the stands, as the French Tennis Federation announced that over half the amount of usual fans will be allowed to attend the tournament. "The number of spectators allowed in the stadium will be 50%-60% of the usual capacity," the FFT said. "This reduction will allow strict distancing measures to be respected." Read more here.
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Pro wrestling

Pro wrestling news over the past few weeks:SEPTEMER 24Back in March, Roman Reigns decided to opt out of WrestleMania 36 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During an appearance on "WWE After the Bell" with "SmackDown" announcer Corey Graves, Reigns explained his choice, saying that it was entirely based on keeping his family safe. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 2Legendary wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared on Instagram that he, his wife, and his two baby daughters all tested positive for the coronavirus. The Rock says they got the virus from close family friends. He said overcoming the virus was harder than recovering from injuries he’s dealt with in the past. Read more here.JULY 30While professional sports commissioners and team owners frequently comment on financial losses amid the coronavirus pandemic, World Wrestling Entertainment enjoyed a fruitful second quarter of the economic year. Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, WWE claimed during a Thursday earnings report that the promotion generated $43.8 million in profits for Q2. Read more here.JULY 20WWE legend Ric Flair has informed the New York Post that Wendy Barlow, his wife, has tested positive for the coronavirus. “My wife does [have the virus]… we live in a 5,000-square-foot home," Flair reportedly said. "I live in the basement. She lives upstairs on the third floor and she got sick.” Flair is considered high risk for the coronavirus because of his age and his medical history. Read more here.JULY 6PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that WWE relocated SummerSlam and the accompanying editions of "Raw" and "SmackDown" to its Performance Center because of the uncontrolled virus outbreak. The pay-per-view card will occur at the Florida site on Aug. 23. According to the Wrestling Observer, an NXT Takeover show is scheduled to air on the WWE Network on Aug. 22. Read more here.JULY 2Former WWE wrestler Kane now goes by another name: Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who is mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. The county's board of health voted on an ordinance to make wearing masks mandatory for anyone who is inside certain buildings. The ordinance passed 7-1, with the lone "no" vote cast by Jacobs, according to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports. Kane, of course, was known for wearing a mask during his WWE tenure. Interestingly, Jacobs does not believe in wearing masks during a pandemic. Read more here.JUNE 26John Pollock of Post Wrestling confirmed that WWE postponed taping for Monday's "Raw" from Friday to Saturday, while the June 26 edition of "SmackDown" was still being produced live-to-tape as originally intended. As noted by Post Wrestling, on-air talents Renee Young and Kayla Braxton, along with Adam Pearce and Jamie Noble, all recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.JUNE 24At least three people within WWE have tested positive for COVID-19, including in-ring talent, according to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer adds that WWE has known about the test results for about a week. On the AEW side, President and CEO Tony Khan tweeted that world champion Jon Moxley (known as Dean Ambrose in WWE) was off Wednesday's "Dynamite" show after he was exposed to somebody with COVID-19. Read more here.JUNE 17Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda and John Pollock of Post Wrestling confirmed that WWE suspended taping for the June 26 edition of "SmackDown" at the company's Performance Center as officials waited for coronavirus test results. Pollock and ESPN's Andrew Feldman added that tapings for "Raw," "NXT," "205 Live" and "Main Event" occurred on Wednesday. Read more here.JUNE 16Professional wrestling and mixed martial arts journalist Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that WWE postponed its taping schedule for Tuesday after a developmental performer tested positive for the coronavirus. Previously, the Observer noted that WWE executive Paul Levesque, known as "Triple H," declined to directly answer if the promotion repeatedly tested performers and other personnel for the coronavirus. Read more here.
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UFC

SEPTEMBER 15An anticipated UFC light heavyweight match between Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira will have to wait even longer if it is to happen, at all. MMA Fighting has confirmed that Santos recently tested positive for the coronavirus and has been ruled out for the Oct. 3 show. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 6Former MMA fighter Gina Carano is tired of the coronavirus restrictions that remain in place around the United States. She ripped the elected officials who still have not allowed churches and businesses to open. Like many others, Carano believes some of the solutions to the pandemic have become worse than the problem. Read more here.AUGUST 5UFC head honcho told TMZ Sports that UFC will return to Fight Island in September or October. Read more here.JULY 28UFC boss Dana White announced during a Tuesday morning CNN appearance that the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov will battle Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24. White didn't disclose a venue or location for the main-event bout. Read more here.JULY 3Khabib Nurmagomedov's father, Abdulmanap, died from coronavirus complications, according to Russian outlet RT.com. He was 57. Abdulmanap died from brain injuries caused by a stroke after fighting the virus, RT.com says. Read more here.
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Boxing

What's new in boxing:JUNE 26Boxing legend Roberto Durán has tested positive for the coronavirus after going to a hospital in Panama on Thursday with cold-like symptoms, he announced on Instagram. Read more here.JUNE 18The junior welterweight boxing match on Top Rank on ESPN between Jose Pedraza and Mikkel LesPierre has been canceled after Josie Taveras, LesPierre's manager, tested positive for COVID-19. In light of the cancellation, the junior lightweight fight between Gabe Flores Jr. and Josec Ruiz is now the main event. Read more here.MAY 28SI's Chris Mannix reported the third installment of Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin will be postponed. The fight was originally scheduled for Sept. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but the promoters did not want the bout to go on unless fans can attend. Canelo won the first fight, but the second bout came to a draw. Read more here.MAY 27The Associated Press reported Top Rank Boxing got the green light to return to Las Vegas, with the organization intending to hold multiple events on June 9 and 11 at the MGM Grand. Read more here.
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Summer Olympics

The latest from the IOC:OCTOBER 3With the NBA expecting the 2020-21 season to start this upcoming January at the earliest, the league’s players would likely not participate in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, per commissioner Adam Silver. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the 2020 Olympics to be postponed, thus casting doubt on NBA players being able to participate. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 26Adam Silver has indicated that the next NBA season will start in January, and that timeline could prevent players from participating in the Summer Games. Slated for this summer, the Olympics in Japan were postponed until July 2021 due to the pandemic. If the start of the 2020-21 NBA season were pushed back to January, it would affect the ability of star players to take part in the international event. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 8Japanese Games Minister Seiko Hashimoto voiced a sense of urgency about the Olympics happening next year, saying that they should not be postponed again "at any cost." Read more here.Olympic great Kerri Walsh Jennings is drawing attention for two recent posts on Instagram. The first post advocated for people to get back to life and improve their health to best combat the virus. The part of her post that irritated many readers was when she said she went shopping without a mask. After receiving many complaints about her post, Walsh Jennings posted on the subject a day later. In the second post, Walsh Jennings posted an image saying she was looking for a “truce.” Read more here.SEPTEMBER 7Senior IOC official John Coates said the 2021 Olympics "will take place with or without COVID." Read more here.AUGUST 25Eight-time Olympic gold medalist and world-record sprinter Usain Bolt celebrated his 34th birthday, which occurred on Aug. 21, with a party that reportedly included visitors not wearing masks despite concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Jamaica's health ministry confirmed that the charismatic multi-sport athlete tested positive for COVID-19. Read more here.JULY 21The Kyodo news agency released a poll last week that showed just how little support the Olympics currently have in Japan, with only 23.9% of Japanese citizens polled supporting the Olympics being in Tokyo next summer. Meanwhile, 36.4% said they believed the Olympics need to be delayed again, and 34% said they would support the event being canceled altogether. Read more here.JULY 11Team USA basketball coach Gregg Popovich had some encouraging words about the Olympics taking place next summer. Per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds, Pop cited Japan's successful response to the pandemic for why he's optimistic the Olympics can take place in Tokyo in 2021. Read more here.JUNE 30The International Olympic Committee says it will provide added support services to athletes worldwide through Athlete365, as an added layer to help them with the challenges that have arisen amid the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of this year's games.MAY 20IOC president Thomas Bach said, “You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty,” according to the BBC.APRIL 28Tokyo Games president Yoshiro Mori said these Olympics would be canceled entirely if they can’t take place on the new date. Read more here.MARCH 29The 2020 Summer Games were set to take place in Tokyo July 24 through Aug. 9 but now are tentatively scheduled for July 23 through Aug. 8, 2021. The sad truth is that no one knows what the world will look like a year from now and whether the games can take place then either. Read more here.
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MLS, NWSL

MLS and NWSL most recent developments:OCTOBER 1Major League Soccer confirmed on Thursday that Saturday's match between the Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers has been postponed to Nov. 4 because of the coronavirus outbreak within the Rapids. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28The Athletic's Sam Stejskal reported on Monday that Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids are in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak. At least two players and nine staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since last Thursday. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 26Major League Soccer announced that the Colorado Rapids' game against Sporting Kansas City has been postponed after one player and three staff members of Colorado's team tested positive for the coronavirus. There's no word on when the match will be made up. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22The 2020 Major League Soccer will conclude with "Decision Day" on Nov. 8. In an official statement, MLS explained that the second Sunday in November will hold seven Eastern Conference fixtures featuring all 14 conference clubs that begin at 3:30 p.m. ET. Six simultaneous Western Conference matches will then start at 6:30 p.m. ET that same day. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 11Much like MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, Major League Soccer's Toronto FC isn't playing their home games in Canada this season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Toronto FC announced Friday that their upcoming home game against Columbus Crew SC on Sunday will be played at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. Read more here.AUGUST 17Atlanta United will not be allowing fans to attend games through the end of September because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.
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International soccer

Most recent news from international soccer circles:OCTOBER 5The Premier League confirmed on Monday that nine players and club staff members tested positive for the coronavirus between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4. In total, 1,587 players and staff were tested over the week. All who returned positive results must self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days. Read more here.OCTOBER 2Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock announced that their Friday match against Motherwell has been postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak. At least six Kilmarnock players have tested positive for the virus this week as of Friday afternoon. All first-team footballers were told to self-isolate until Oct. 14. Read more here.Reigning English Premier League champions Liverpool confirmed that forward Sadio Mane has tested positive for COVID-19. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 29Liverpool confirmed that new club midfielder Thiago Alcantara tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating. The 29-year-old joined the reigning Premier League champions from Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich on Sept. 18. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 28The English Premier League confirmed on Monday that 10 players and club staff members tested positive for the coronavirus from Sept. 21-27. All individuals who return a positive test must self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 24AC Milan announced that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has tested positive for coronavirus and has been placed in quarantine as he recovers. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 22Shortly after West Ham United kicked off Tuesday's Carabao Cup match versus Hull City, the club confirmed that manager David Moyes, defender Issa Diop and midfielder Josh Cullen tested positive for COVID-19 and were sent home from London Stadium before the fixture. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 21English League Two side Leyton Orient could be forced to forfeit Tuesday's scheduled Carabao Cup match versus Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur due to what the club described as "a number of first-team squad" players testing positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 17The Bundesliga is set to open Friday with a match between Bayern Munich and Schalke, but the game will not be played in front of fans due to concerns about rising coronavirus infection rates in Munich. Over the past week, Munich has seen its average number of infections per 100,000 jump from 34 to 47.6, a significant enough rise for officials decide to not allow fans at Friday's game. Read more here.English Championship side Middlesbrough announced that manager Neil Warnock has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss at least this coming Saturday's match versus Bournemouth. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 10Serie A side Napoli confirmed on Thursday that club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 8England's Mason Greenwood offered an apology after he and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden were dropped from the national team because they violated health and safety protocols following a 1-0 win over Iceland on Saturday. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 7England manager Gareth Southgate has dropped Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden from the national team after the pair violated coronavirus-related health and safety protocols. Greenwood and Foden reportedly brought women back to their Reykjavik hotel following Saturday's 1-0 victory over Iceland. Southgate removed the players from his squad before the Three Lions boarded a flight to Copenhagen for Tuesday's Nations League match versus Denmark. Read more here.Foden apologized after he and Greenwood were sent home for violating health and safety protocols following the team's 1-0 win over Iceland on Saturday. Read more here.English Premier League side Manchester City confirmed that winger Riyad Mahrez and defender Aymeric Laporte tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more here.The French national team has taken a huge hit to the lineup. Kylian Mbappe won't play in their UEFA Nations League match against Croatia on Tuesday. France announced Monday that Mbappe tested positive for the coronavirus and currently is in isolation. However, he's not experiencing any symptoms. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 3Neymar wasn't the only PSG player to contract COVID-19. Three soccer players on Paris Saint-Germain have tested positive. According to ESPN, joining Neymar are Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes. All three players were recently seen on a holiday together on the Spanish island of Ibiza. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 2Paris Saint-Germain will be without one of their biggest stars for their season opener on Sept. 10 against Lens. According to ESPN's Julien Laurens, Neymar has tested positive for the coronavirus after vacationing in Ibiza. He received the test results on Wednesday morning and is set to be retested. Read more here.AUGUST 27Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been removed from France's lineup after testing positive for the coronavirus. France manager Didier Deschamps said that Eduardo Camavinga would replace Pogba for the team's scheduled matches against Sweden and Croatia next month. Read more here.AUGUST 20Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail is reporting that Tottenham Hotspur and England superstar striker Harry Kane missed the start of the club's preseason training sessions because he was made to quarantine for 14 days following a holiday in the Bahamas with his family. Read more here.AUGUST 14Less than two weeks after Spanish giants Real Madrid said they couldn't splash cash on star players this summer unless they first sold Welshman Gareth Bale, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke also admitted the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted his club's finances. As noted by ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld, Watzke told German outlet Deutsche Presse-Agentur that Dortmund are facing a financial crisis. Read more here.AUGUST 10Atletico Madrid confirmed on Monday that members of the club's traveling party tested negative for the coronavirus and will fly to Portugal on Tuesday for Thursday's Champions League quarterfinal showdown versus Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig. Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko both tested positive over the weekend. The two players are asymptomatic and self-isolating. Read more here.AUGUST 3The Italian Serie A will begin the 2020-21 campaign on Sept. 19, one week later that originally scheduled and a week after the English Premier League intends to start its season. The league also says it has shortened the annual Christmas break and scheduled fixtures for Jan. 3 and Jan. 6. It's unknown if fans will be able to attend. Read more here.JULY 24The 2020-21 EPL season will begin on Sept. 12, the league announced. The current season will end on July 26, and teams who aren't competing in European competition will have nearly two months to prepare for the campaign. Read more here.JULY 20According to ESPN, the Ballon d'Or has been canceled for the first time in the award's history due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the soccer calendar. Group L'Equipe, the organizers of the award, announced that the conditions for the prize to be awarded had not taken place due to the pandemic. Read more here.JULY 15The International Football Association Board will allow leagues to expand the rule permitting clubs five substitutions per game instead of the standard three replacements through the end of upcoming 2020-21 campaigns. Read more here.JULY 10According to ESPN, soccer in the Netherlands will resume on Sept. 15 with 15 percent to 35 percent of stadiums available for spectators. No away supporters will be allowed, however. Spectators will need to remain about five feet apart, bring masks and buy drinks from roaming sellers rather than waiting in line at kiosks. Read more here.JULY 1Wigan became the first professional English side to enter into administration amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lack of funding from the side's new owners as well a financial burden placed on clubs since the pandemic started played a part, per BBC, which notes that other clubs might be in the same position soon. Read more here.
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WNBA

WNBA's latest developments:SEPTEMBER 22The WNBA confirmed that Game 1 of the semifinal matchup between the Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx will take place Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Game 1 was originally scheduled for Sunday, but the WNBA postponed the fixture after multiple Seattle players returned inconclusive coronavirus test results. Read more here.SEPTEMBER 20The Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx will have to wait a little longer to play Game 1 of their semifinal matchup at IMG Academy. The WNBA announced Sunday that the league has postponed Game 1 between the two sides out of an abundance of caution after players from the Storm received inconclusive coronavirus test results. Read more here.
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International baseball

What has happened in international baseball:JULY 8During a recent game against the Rakuten Eagles, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks employed 20 dancing robots to liven things up. The two kinds of robots, SoftBank’s humanoid robot ‘Pepper’ and others on four legs, engaged in a choreographed dance to the team’s fight song. Read more here.JULY 1The Mexican Baseball League has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 season, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). The league's clubs earn the majority of their revenues from gate sales and in-person purchases. Sporting events throughout Mexico currently can only occur behind closed doors and without spectators. The season was scheduled to start Aug. 7. Read more here.
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eSports

esports carries on:MAY 19Esports’ popularity has experienced an uptick on both sides of the remote, as CNBC’s Bob Woods reported on May 19 that streaming website Twitch experienced a “23% surge in viewership in March,” coinciding with the time frame when much of the country started to stay home.MAY 4While the pandemic is having a negative effect on the sports world, it’s been business as usual for esports and gaming. Participants can easily play while maintaining social distancing guidelines since gaming takes place online. In fact, esports has been flourishing. Texas A&M head esports coach Travis Yang told KSAT.com that there has been a “noticeable increase” in gamers and tournaments as people were forced to stay at home.
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One-off events

Most recent developments among other sports:AUGUST 21After hoping to allow a decreased percentage of spectators to the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs Incorporated announced on Friday afternoon that no fans will be welcomed to the event postponed from May 2 to Sept. 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.AUGUST 4Indianapolis Motor Speedway has once again reversed course and declared that the Indianapolis 500 held on Aug. 23 will occur without fans in the stands due to the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.JULY 1The 2020 Mexico City Marathon announced that the race scheduled for Aug. 30 is canceled. According to Mexico News Daily, the event drew roughly 30,000 runners last year. Read more here.JUNE 26The Indianapolis 500, set for Aug. 23, became the latest American sporting event to welcome fans amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles confirmed the news, stating, "We will be limiting attendance to approximately 50 percent of venue capacity." Per Shanna McCarriston of CBS Sports, Indianapolis Motor Speedway carries a capacity of around 235,000. The official announcement also explained that individuals who do not wish to attend, such as those considered high-risk, will receive credits. Safety items such as masks and hand sanitizer will be distributed to all race attendees. Read more here.JUNE 24The world's largest marathon in New York City has officially been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Jackie Salo of the New York Post. The five-borough race, which hosts more than 50,000 runners from across the globe, would've celebrated its 50th anniversary on Nov. 1. It is now set to take place on Nov. 7, 2021. Read more here.JUNE 23The Haspa Marathon Hamburg, which was postponed from April, is set to occur on Sept. 13. The race is expecting 10,000 to 14,000 runners. However, Americans might not be among thm. Action Network's Darren Rovell reported that runners from "higher-risk COVID areas" will not be allowed to participate. A higher-risk area could include the United States. Read more here.JUNE 13Approximately 20,000 rugby fans in New Zealand packed the stands to watch the Otago Highlanders take on the Waikato Chiefs in the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition. New Zealand lifted nearly all of its coronavirus restrictions earlier in the week, as no new cases have been reported for more than 20 days and the death toll is at just 22 in the country since the pandemic started. Read more here.MAY 28The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled for April 20 but postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic, was canceled and converted into a virtual experience. It's the first time in 124 years the Marathon won't run. Read more here.
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NFL considering postseason bubble .
If something like the Titans’ situation happened in the playoffs, with dozens of COVID-19 cases, it’s hard to imagine a sensible way to work around it. Jones and Kaplan also make it seem like a Week 18 is inevitable at this point, with some games being pushed into early January. Once teams have already had their bye weeks it will be nearly impossible to move things around like the NFL did this past week, and one source said it’s a matter of when, not if, there becomes a Week 18.

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