Houston suspends workouts over virus

The University of Houston is suspending all voluntary workouts for its athletes after six tested positive for COVID-19 with symptoms.

Houston announced it was shutting down workouts due to “an abundance of caution” and an increase of positive tests in the greater Houston area over the last week.

The school said the athletes, who were not identified, have been placed in isolation and medical staff is conducting contact-tracing procedures.

Schools around the country have begun bringing athletes back to campus this month for voluntary workouts. Athletes are being tested for COVID-19 and coronavirus antibodies and given physical screenings through examines and questionnaires. There is no national standardized testing protocol for athletes.

An anonymous group of Texas athletes posted a twopage letter on Twitter seeking significant changes with the university’s campus and in athletics, including renaming or replacing some structures and replacing the iconic “The Eyes of Texas” with another song and not requiring athletes to sing it.

Florida became the third state, joining California and Colorado, to pass a bill that would allow college athletes to be paid for the use of their name, images and likenesses. ... The NCAA encouraged its 1,100 member colleges and universities to give athletes the day off from sports on election day, responding to grassroots movements of activism from players and coaches . ... Former Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema, now an assistant with the New York Giants, filed a $7-million lawsuit against the Arkansas Razorback Foundation over a disagreement about severance pay.

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien told the Houston Chronicle he plans to kneel during the national anthem alongside players to protest social injustices . ... The NFL plans to recognize Juneteenth — considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States and observed on June 19 — as a league holiday, commissioner Roger Goodell announced.