April 2, 2020 3:41 am
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has ended his quarantine after recovering from the coronavirus. He is now working out of the sprawling new Dixie Brewery in an industrial section of eastern New Orleans. The brewery, owned by Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, is closed to normal operations. But the coach, general manager Mickey Loomis, college scouting director Jeff Ireland and a few other staffers have set up in an expansive room where they can keep their distance from one another and communicate with area scouts through video conferences.
April 1, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is extending its self-quarantine recommendation for players and staff to April 15. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the extension in an email to The Associated Press. The league had previously sent out a memo recommending self-quarantining until April 4. So far, four NHL players have tested positive for COVID-19. The league and teams are hoping to get players together to skate in small groups once the isolation period is over. State, provincial and local lockdown regulations across the U.S. and Canada could push back the opening of team facilities.
April 1, 2020 3:42 am
UNDATED (AP) – NFL team owners have voted to expand the playoffs by one team in each conference for next season. During a conference call to discuss league business after the annual meetings were canceled because of the new coronavirus pandemic, the owners also awarded one of those extra games to CBS and one to NBC. Only the teams with the best record in the AFC and NFC will get a bye under the new format; the top two teams skipped wild-card weekend in the past.
March 31, 2020 3:40 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NCAA will permit spring-sport Division I athletes who had their seasons shortened by the coronavirus outbreak to have an additional year of eligibility. The NCAA Division I Council voted to give college athletes who compete in spring sports such as baseball, softball and lacrosse a way to get back the season they lost, but did not guarantee financial aid. Winter sports were not included in that decision the council declined to extend eligibility for student-athletes in sports where all or most of their regular seasons were completed.
March 31, 2020 2:42 am
The Steelers announced Monday that they have signed former Pitt defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and Duquesne linebacker Christian Kuntz to one-year deals. Former XFL safety Tyree Kinnel’s deal was also made official.
March 30, 2020 8:40 am
TOKYO (AP) – The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year’s games. Tokyo organizers say the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021. That is almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year. The IOC and Japanese organizers last week postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s games were scheduled to open on July 24 and close on Aug. 9. But the near exact one-year delay will see the rescheduled closing ceremony on Aug. 8.
March 30, 2020 3:41 am
UNDATED (AP) – A panel of Associated Press sports writers has come up with the top 10 men’s basketball games in the history of the NCAA Tournament. The fourth game on the list is Villanova’s victory over Georgetown in the 1985 championship game in 1985. The Wildcats shot 90 percent in the second half and deprived Patrick Ewing and Hoyas a second consecutive title. áEwing scored 14 points while tournament MVP Ed Pinckney had 16 for the Wildcats. The final score was 66-64.
March 28, 2020 4:10 am
UNDATED (AP) – Olympic officials have confirmed that the 6,200 or so athletes who had already punched their ticket for the Tokyo Olympics will keep their spots for the rescheduled games in 2021. It resolves one of the key questions for marathoners, open-water swimmers and hundreds of other athletes whose qualifying process came early in the 2020 sports calendar, before the coronavirus started shutting down sports across the globe. Still to be determined is how the rest of the spots at the rescheduled games will be allocated. Typically, the individual sports determine their qualifying procedures.
March 27, 2020 3:41 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NCAA will distribute $225 million to its Division I members in June. That is $375 million less than had been budgeted this year because the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the men’s basketball tournament. March Madness is among the biggest revenue producers for the NCAA and its schools. The NCAA says $50 million will come from its reserve fund. A $270 million event cancellation insurance policy will help pay the rest.
March 27, 2020 2:40 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indianapolis 500 scheduled for May 24 has been postponed until August because of the coronavirus pandemic. It will be the first time since 1946 that the race won’t be run on Memorial Day weekend. IndyCar initially said it would resume racing May 9 on the road course at Indianapolis. That race will now be run on July 4, a day before NASCAR races at The Brickyard. The Indy 500 will be moved to Aug. 23.
