Off the wire
FOOTBALL Roethlisberger on virus list
A day after the Pittsburgh Steelers placed tight end Vance McDonald on the covid-19 list following a positive test, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and three other teammates — inside linebacker Vince Williams, running back Jaylen Samuels and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins — joined it, making their availability for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati (2-5-1) uncertain. The reserve/covid-19 list is either for players who have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who has. All players who have been in close contact must quarantine for five days and are unable to visit the team’s practice facility, but can participate virtually. They must pass covid-19 tests throughout the week to have an opportunity to play. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday it’s possible Roethlisberger and Williams could rejoin the team for its walk-through practice on Saturday. He pointed to Roethlisberger’s experience as a 17-year veteran as one of the reasons he would have no issue playing Roethlisberger if he’s cleared. Backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs will both get reps during the week with Roethlisberger elsewhere.
Cowboys lose Diggs
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will miss several weeks with a broken foot, a blow for a defense that was playing better in part because of the rookie’s contributions. Diggs was injured in the second half of Sunday’s 2419 loss to Pittsburgh. The Cowboys announced Diggs’ injury on their website Tuesday. Dallas owner Jerry Jones said Diggs played with the injury suffered late in the game against the Steelers. The second-round pick out of Alabama had the first two interceptions of his career two weeks ago in a 23-9 loss to
Philadelphia. The last-place Cowboys had just one interception on the season before Diggs’ pair. The loss of Diggs comes as the Cowboys are hopeful that cornerback Chidobe Awuzie will return after missing seven games with a groin injury. Dallas is off this week before visiting Minnesota on Nov. 22. The Cowboys (2-7) and New York Giants are tied for last in the NFC East, but division leader Philadelphia (3-4-1) has a losing record as well.
OBJ has surgery
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had successful surgery Tuesday to repair the torn left knee ligament that ended his season after seven games. The team said Beckham, who injured his knee in the first quarter of an Oct. 25 game at Cincinnati, is “expected to be ready for the 2021 season.” Typically, recovery from a torn ACL takes at least nine months, meaning Beckham could be back for training camp. The 28-year-old was playing well in his second season with Cleveland, which acquired him in a March 2019 trade from the New York Giants. Beckham got hurt as he tried to run down Bengals cornerback Darius Phillips, who intercepted a pass intended for Cleveland’s playmaker. Beckham finished with 23 catches for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also scored on a 50-yard run in a win at Dallas. He’s missed 25 games over the past four seasons due to injuries.
Ravens sign veteran CB
The Baltimore Ravens fortified their defensive backfield by signing free agent cornerback Tramon Williams, who hasn’t played since last season. The 37-year-old Williams played in all 16 games with Green Bay a year ago. He has 13 seasons of NFL experience, most of them with the Packers. His addition to Baltimore’s 53-man roster Tuesday coincided with cornerback Khalil Dorsey being placed on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder. Williams broke into the NFL in 2007 with Green Bay. He played there for eight years before a two-year stint with Cleveland, followed by one season with Arizona in 2017 before a return to the Packers for two more years. Baltimore added Williams after a week in which cornerback Marlon Humphrey was sidelined after testing positive for covid-19.
NFL OKs minority incentive
NFL owners have approved a proposal that will reward organizations for developing minority coaches and front office executives who become head coaches, general managers or team presidents for other clubs. Also, the league’s owners unanimously approved a contingency plan to expand the playoff field to 16 teams if meaningful games are canceled due to covid-19. The voting was held Tuesday during a virtual meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and league executives. Teams that lose a minority coach or an executive to a head coach position or primary football executive role with another club will receive a thirdround compensatory pick for two consecutive years. If a team loses a minority coach and an executive to both head coach and general manager/president roles, that club will receive a third-round compensatory pick for three consecutive years. The resolution must be approved by the NFL Players Association.
BASKETBALL Heinsohn, 86, dies
Tommy Heinsohn —who as a Boston Celtics player, coach and broadcaster over more than 60 years was with the team for all 17 of its NBA championships — has died. He was 86. A Holy Cross product who was a territorial draft pick by the Celtics in 1956, Heinsohn beat out teammate Bill Russell for the NBA’s rookie of the year award that season, and tallied 39 points with 23 rebounds in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the St. Louis Hawks. It was the franchise’s first title — and the first of eight in nine years for Heinsohn and Russell. Heinsohn was the team’s leading scorer in four of the championship seasons. Heinsohn retired in 1965 with totals of 12,194 points and 5,749 rebounds and remained with the team as a broadcaster. Celtics patriarch Red
Auerbach tabbed him to be the coach in 1969, succeeding Russell. Heinsohn was the NBA coach of the year in 1973, when the team won a then-record 68 games. The Celtics added championships in 1974 and ‘76. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 and as a coach in 2015. Shortly after retiring as a coach in 1979, he rejoined the team’s broadcasts, where his unapologetic homerism has endeared him to Celtics fans ever since.
TENNIS Sabalenka advances
Aryna Sabalenka overcame a slow start to defeat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-4 Tuesday in the opening round of the season-ending Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Austria. The top-seeded Sabalenka fell 4-1 down in the first set before winning the next five games. Sabalenka next plays Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele, who defeated Viktoria Kuzmova 7-6 (3), 6-3. In other firstround play, 2018 champion Camila Giorgi outlasted Sara Sorribes Tormo for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win. Former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva eased past Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-2, while Sorana Cirstea, Arantxa Rus, Jana Fett and Barbora Krejcikova also advanced.
BASEBALL
Mets pick sites to keep
Syracuse, Binghamton, Brooklyn and St. Lucie will be the New York Mets’ four minor-league affiliates next year, leaving Columbia, S.C., and Kingsport, Tenn., to be dropped. Returning Mets President Sandy Alderson made the announcement Tuesday during a news conference to introduce Steven Cohen, who bought the Mets last week from the Wilpon and Katz families for $2.42 billion. The Syracuse Mets are in the Class AAA International League and St. Lucie has been in the Florida State League, which had been Class A Advanced. It appears St. Lucie will be low Class A next year. Alderson did not give the level for Binghamton and Brooklyn.