FSU, Clemson remain at odds over postponement

Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Monday that the Seminoles were all looking forward to playing No. 4 Clemson on Saturday, but the Tigers allowing a player who had been symptomatic to practice and eventually travel with the team “raised a lot of concerns” that led to the postponement.

“It’s unfortunate to everybody that the game was postponed. …” Norvell said. “Nobody wanted this.”

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said his team met the medical standard to play against Florida State and believes the Seminoles called off the game because of reasons other than COVID-19.

“This game was not canceled because of COVID. COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game,” an angry Swinney said Sunday night.

Norvell said he became aware of a positive coronavirus test at Clemson on Friday night. But the decision not to play came by the program’s medical personnel on Saturday morning. Norvell found out about it via phone call during the pregame meal. He said it was “emotional in all aspects.”

“Football coaches are not doctors,” Norvell said during his weekly news conference. “Some of us might think that we are, but there’s a reason why those advisors are able to make the decisions from the information that is provided.”

Norvell is “absolutely” hopeful the game will be rescheduled in Tallahassee. Dec. 12 is the most likely date, considering both teams are currently off.

Tigers athletic director Dan Radakovich said that Clemson followed the ACC’s protocols and spent about $300,000 on a road trip for a game that never happened. In an interview on the ACC Network, Radakovich suggested the ACC needs a third-party arbiter to resolve disputes and cast doubt on the possibility of Clemson traveling to FSU again.

Elsewhere: No. 6

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Florida will have standout tight end Kyle Pitts back for Saturday’s game against Kentucky. Pitts missed the last weeks following a vicious hit against Georgia that caused a concussion and did enough damage to his nose that he needed surgery.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Football: Krop defeat● ed Hialeah Miami Lakes 28-6, led by senior Davin Derival, who amassed 285 total yards rushing, receiving and including a 100yard interception return.

Jake Golan passed for 245 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior Schnider Pierre led the defense with eight tackles, including four for loss and two sacks. Senior

Dewrell Murdock had an 80-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to seal Krop’s victory. The young Lightning is 3-1 and will play Braddock at home

Dec. 4.

ETC.

Soccer: Theo Walcott ●

scored his first goal for Southampton in almost 15 years to help the team draw at Wolverhampton

1-1 in the English Premier League. … Burnley finally claimed its first victory in the English Premier League, 1-0 against a Crystal Palace missing star forward Wilfried Zaha

after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Chris Wood scored in the eighth minute. FIFA barred the top official in African soccer from the sport for five years, upending the leadership of one of its six regional confederations only months before a presidential election and offering a new reminder that corruption continues to plague global soccer even at its most senior levels. The punishment of the official, Ahmad Ahmad,

who had been the president of the Confederation of African Football and a FIFA vice president since 2017, was related to his conduct from 2017 to

2019, according to a statement released by FIFA’s ethics body. … Fans are set to return to English Premier League games next week for the first time since March. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is allowing a return of spectators to sports stadiums as part of an easing of coronavirus restrictions when the national lockdown ends on Dec. 2.

NBA: Pope Francis

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met with NBA players at the Vatican on Monday, lauding them as “champions“and saying he supported their work on social justice. The five players —

Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver — were joined in the delegation by NBA players’ union executive director Michele Roberts

and two other union executives. Roberts said Francis sought the meeting with the players, and that it “demonstrates the influence of their platforms.”

Demands for social and racial justice have been paramount among players, especially in recent months following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others. … Former Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal.

●MLB: Mets president Sandy Alderson said he is retaining Luis Rojas as manager at least for next season, something he previously only committed to being “very likely.” Rojas, 39, is the first Latino man to manage the Mets. … The Chicago White Sox will host the New York Yankees in the rescheduled Field of Dreams game at Dyersville, Iowa, on Aug. 12 — contingent on the status of public health next summer. The teams had been scheduled to play at the 8,000capacity temporary ballpark next to the Field of Dreams movie site last

Aug. 13.