June 16, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The agent for Ezekiel Elliott says the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys has tested positive for the coronavirus. Rocky Arceneaux tells the NFL Network Elliott is feeling OK and recovering. A person with direct knowledge of the diagnosis tells The Associated Press that Elliott had the positive test about a week ago and could be described as symptomatic. Only players who have been rehabilitating injuries have been allowed inside team facilities during the shutdown. That hasn’t included Elliott.
June 14, 2020 7:28 am
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – The PGA Tour has returned after three months because of the pandemic, and it has not taken long for fans to see what they were missing. Xander Schauffele made a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 66 and a one-shot lead over an All-Star cast at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Among those one shot behind were Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. Among the 14 players separated by three shots were Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. That sets up what should by a dynamic Sunday with no spectators allowed on the course. But there were unofficial spectators watching at Colonial even though none are allowed on the course. There weren’t even tickets for Colonial members. But some of them had obstructed views from one of three temporary party tents and grandstands set up in the yards of nearby homes. The cheers from there could be heard at the far end of the course.
June 13, 2020 4:27 am
(AP) – The head of the Tokyo Olympics says 80% of the facilities needed for next year’s games have “basic approval” to be used. But organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori says “there are also venues that already have reservations from other users for next year.” Organizers say that two of the largest venues needed for the Olympics have not yet been secured. They are the 5,000-apartment Athletes Village and the Tokyo Big Sight. That is the venue for the main press center. Organizers are also still unable to say what the delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic will cost and who will pay.
June 13, 2020 4:25 am
UNDATED (AP) – Major League Baseball has offered players 80% of their prorated salaries and a 72-game schedule starting July 14 in an effort to start the pandemic-delayed season. That’s according to details of the proposal obtained Friday by The Associated Press. Players would get 70% of their prorated salaries during the regular season and the rest for completion of the postseason. The players’ last offer was for an 89-game regular season at full prorated pay. MLB proposed that players be guaranteed about $1.25 billion in salaries, earn an additional $200 million if the postseason is completed plus a $50 million postseason players’ pool even if no tickets are sold. The union’s proposal would guarantee players $2.2 billion. Before the new coronavirus caused opening day to be pushed back from March 26, salaries had been set to total $4 billion. Players have insisted they receive 100% of their prorated salaries, the terms the sides agreed to in March. But MLB told the union that playing in empty ballparks without gate revenue would cause a loss of $640,000 for each additional game played and that teams can’t afford 100% prorated pay. The union has said it doubts MLB’s figures but has not received sufficient financial disclosure to make a full evaluation.
June 12, 2020 3:49 am
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Golf is the second major sport in the U.S., behind motor sports, to resume a schedule shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. The start was even more quiet than usual on the PGA Tour, only the silence never left over the next 12 hours as golf was back to business at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. Justin Rose and Harold Varner shared the lead at 7-under 63, with Justin Thomas among those a stroke back. Tom Lehman, a 61-year-old former champion at Colonial, got in on the act with a 65. Sung Kang made a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and didn’t realize it until he was 50 yards from the green. Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member who raised money for COVID-19 relief efforts during the shutdown, was chosen to hit the first official shot on the PGA Tour in three months. Colonial came to a standstill at 8:46 a.m. when everyone on the course honored a moment of silence for the death of George Floyd and the outrage it has sparked worldwide on racial injustice.
June 10, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The familiar scene of Confederate flags waved by fans at NASCAR tracks could soon be a relic of racing’s good ol’ boy roots. Bubba Wallace — the lone black driver in the sport – this week declared it is time for the stock car series with deep ties to the South to ban the flag at its properties and formally distance itself from what for millions is a unwelcome symbol of slavery and racism. The signs are everywhere that NASCAR could do so. As the nation grapples with social unrest largely tied to the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, the predominantly white field of drivers united for a video promoting social change. A black NASCAR official took a knee before Sunday’s race near Atlanta in what may have been a first and the governing body vowed to do a better job of addressing racial injustice.
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.
