April 4, 2020 4:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Days after the NFL revealed its hopes of conducting a normal regular season and playoffs, its chief medical officer is warning that nothing is a certainty during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Allen Sills, a neurosurgeon who has been with the NFL since 2017, says he and other league and team medical personnel have been in constant communication with health officials throughout the country, looking at the same data they are using to make public recommendations. The NFL also has consulted with the other major sports leagues and the players’ union.
April 3, 2020 3:42 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has signed a franchise tender that puts him under contract for the 2020 season as the two sides work toward reaching a long-term deal with the 2019 NFL rushing leader. The Titans gave him a franchise tag March 16, a move that means he will be paid $10.2 million in the 2020 season unless they sign him to a long-term deal by July 15. Henry rushed for an NFL-leading 1,540 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry while earning his first Pro Bowl invitation last season.
April 2, 2020 2:27 am
(AP) – Wimbledon has been canceled for the first time since World War II because of the coronavirus pandemic. The All England Club announced after an emergency meeting that the oldest Grand Slam tournament in tennis would not be held in 2020. Wimbledon was scheduled to be played on the outskirts of London from June 29 to July 12. It now joins the growing list of sports events scrapped in 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. That includes the Tokyo Olympics, the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments and the European soccer championship. The last time Wimbledon was called off was 1945.
April 1, 2020 3:46 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Gerrit Cole, Mike Trout and other veteran major leaguers will receive $4,775 per day in advance pay for the first 60 days of the season during the stoppage caused by the coronavirus, a total of $286,500. That’s just 2.5% percent of the $193,548 the New York Yankees pitcher and Los Angeles Angels outfielder were scheduled to earn each day from their $36 million salaries, tied for the major league high. The daily total was obtained by The Associated Press after it was confirmed by MLB and the players’ association following their agreement on how to proceed during the stoppage.
April 1, 2020 3:40 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t worried about their usual preparation for the NFL draft being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. General manager Kevin Colbert says the team is adjusting on the fly just like everyone else because of the travel limitations put in place in hopes of stemming the spread of the pandemic. The Steelers will have conference calls with prospects and take an old-school approach to the draft. Colbert pointed out that scouts back in the 1970s didn’t need an exhaustive process to identify the players that helped turn the team into a dynasty.
March 31, 2020 3:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The site of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York is going to be used for 350 temporary hospital beds and to prepare food packages during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier says an area that houses indoor courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows will begin to be converted into a medical facility starting Tuesday. New York state and city officials are trying to increase hospital capacity by up to 87,000 beds to handle the outbreak.
March 30, 2020 3:44 am
Two Chicago Cubs employees who attended an annual training session at Wrigley Field on March 8 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. A team spokesman says one employee was hospitalized and the other was recovering at home. The spokesman also said there was “nothing definitive” indicating the session “contributed to exposure” since the test results weren’t received until March 23 and 24.
March 29, 2020 7:01 am
A deal worked out between Major League Baseball and the players doesn’t include details of what a reconfigured schedule would look like. The agreement calls for play to resume “as soon as is practicable” with a goal of completing “the fullest 2020 championship season and postseason that is economically feasible.” It also says there must be no legal restrictions on mass gathering and travel. The two sides agreed to consider playing past the usual end of the postseason in late October, even if it involves using neutral sites and domes. Details were divulged to The Associated Press by people familiar with the agreement.
March 28, 2020 4:08 am
UNDATED (AP) – The final pitch of the 2020 baseball season could be thrown closer to Christmas than Halloween. Major League Baseball owners ratified a 17-page agreement with the union on that provides for $170 million in salary advances and guarantees service time to players even if no games are played due to the new coronavirus. The season was to start Thursday and Game 7 of the World Series was on track to be Oct. 28. Union head Tony Clark says big leaguers would play as long as they could to get in as many games as possible.
March 27, 2020 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt is happy to be reunited with younger brother T.J., just don’t expect the Watt brothers to become roommates. Derek Watt joked that T.J. doesn’t want to share a roof with him. Derek added his wife also isn’t in favor of the Watt brothers living together. Derek Watt signed a three-year deal with the Steelers after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers.
