June 9, 2020 3:40 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL and the players’ union have sent a planner to the 32 teams outlining procedures for the full reopening of their practice facilities. A memo written by Commissioner Roger Goodell and approved by the NFL Players Association describes protocols focusing on screening, testing, and infection prevention and treatment for COVID-19, including response for new infections.
Also included are instructions on proper facility access, cleaning and disinfecting; physical distancing; hygiene, health education and medical services. There are instructions on food preparation; supplies; and team travel. No timetable has been set for the return of most players to team complexes. Only players rehabilitating injuries have been allowed to enter the buildings.
June 8, 2020 4:14 am
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) – Kevin Harvick turned in another dominating run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, cruising to victory over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Harvick won for the second time since NASCAR returned from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, adding to his emotional victory at Darlington in the first race back. He now has 51 wins, breaking a tie with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for the 12th spot on the career list.
June 7, 2020 7:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers would each save more than $100 million on player salaries as part of management’s proposal to start the coronavirus-delayed season than they would under the union’s plan, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Top stars accustomed to eye-popping salaries that set them apart from mere All-Stars would experience by far the steepest cuts. Set to earn $36 million each, Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole would get $25.3 million under the union’s plan and a base of $5.6 million under the teams’ proposal, with the chance to get back to about $8 million if the postseason is played. A rookie at the minimum would get $396,537 from the union plan and $256,706 from the MLB proposal — not much more than the $222,222 per game Trout and Cole originally were slated to earn. The Yankees project to pay $155 million to players under the union’s plan, according to the AP analysis based on frozen March 28 rosters, and spend $48 million on salary under management’s proposal. The Astros drop from $149 million to $46 million and the Dodgers from $147 million to $46 million. Lower-spending teams save, too, but not nearly as much because their starting points are lower. Miami is at $33 million under the union’s plan and $16 million under MLB’s. Pittsburgh’s salaries would drop from $36 million to $17 million and Baltimore’s from $43 million to $18 million. Players agreed on March 26 to accept prorated shares of their salaries during a shortened season, part of a deal that guaranteed $170 million in advances and service time even if the season is scrapped. More than 100 players gathered for a digital meeting Thursday and reaffirmed their stance against additional cuts.
June 5, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL cleared the way for players to return to practice rinks next week and firmed up its playoff format even as a ninth player tested positive for the coronavirus. Teams can reopen facilities and players can take part in voluntary workouts starting Monday. It’s another step toward hockey returning this summer. Earlier in the day, the league announced every playoff series will be a best-of-seven after the qualifying round and teams will be re-seeded along the way instead of bracketing. That news came on the heels of the Pittsburgh Penguins revealing one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus and has recovered from COVID-19. That brings the total of NHL players testing positive to nine.
June 4, 2020 3:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball is no closer to starting the 2020 that it was when the union made its latest proposal on Sunday. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that MLB has rejected the players’ offer for a 114-game regular season with no additional salary cuts. The person added that management did not plan to make a counterproposal. MLB proposed an 82-game schedule last week and further reductions in player salaries as the sport tries to salvage a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Management has told the union it has no interest in extending the season into November, when it fears a second wave of the coronavirus could disrupt the postseason and jeopardize $787 million in broadcast revenue.
June 4, 2020 3:51 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Drew Brees is being sharply criticized by fellow high-profile athletes, including some of his own teammates, after the Saints quarterback reiterated his opposition to kneeling during the national anthem. Brees made his comments during a Yahoo interview in which he was asked to revisit former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protest of police brutality against minorities. Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem before games. Brees says he’ll “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States.” Brees has said he supports people protesting police brutality but that the national anthem is not proper forum for that.
June 3, 2020 3:52 am
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – The college football season opener between Notre Dame and Navy has been moved out of Ireland because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen were scheduled to meet in Dublin on Aug. 29, but instead will seek to play at the Naval Academy during the Labor Day weekend. The decision to move the venue came after discussions between the Irish government, medical authorities and the leadership teams at Navy and Notre Dame. Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk says decision to forego the overseas trip is to ensure the health and safety of the players, coaches and fans.
June 2, 2020 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Former Auburn football coach Pat Dye has died at the age of 80. Dye took over a downtrodden program in 1981 and turned it into a Southeastern Conference power. The Lee County coroner says Dye died Monday at a hospice care facility in Auburn from complications of kidney and liver failure. His son, Pat Dye Jr., had told ESPN.com recently that the former coach had been hospitalized in Atlanta for kidney-related issues. He also said his father had tested positive for the coronavirus but had been asymptomatic. In 12 years at Auburn, Dye posted a 99-39-4 record. He also coached at Wyoming and East Carolina.
June 1, 2020 3:43 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Major League Baseball wants to ban mascots should the sport resume this season. There is a blueprint MLB could follow that explains why mascots fit in barren ballparks. Mascots remained a staple of baseball games in Taiwan and South Korea. China’s baseball league barred spectators over concerns of spreading the new coronavirus in a crowded space, but the league decided it was safe to let in cheerleaders and costumed mascots. MLB mascots kept busy during quarantine. Mr. Met cleaned windows. Wally the Green Monster recorded virtual messages for charity. Dave Raymond is a former Phillie Phanatic mascot and now a mascot consultant. He says every mascot is “essential because of its “ability to connect and distract with fun.”
May 31, 2020 8:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says “there remains an urgent need for action” following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the protests around the country that have followed. From New York to Los Angeles and several cities in between, thousands protested Floyd’s death and repeated police killings of black men. Floyd was a handcuffed black man who died Monday after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests have prompted many sports figures — including athletes, coaches and league officials — to speak out in recent days. “As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league,” Goodell said in his statement Saturday. “These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts. There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society. “We embrace that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and partners.” Goodell added that the protesters reactions “reflect the pain, anger and frustration that so many of us feel.” He also sent condolences to Floyd’s family — as well as those of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door on March 13. Arbery, who was the cousin of Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker, was a 25-year-old black man who was shot dead after being pursued by two white men while running in their neighborhood.
