Inside: Virus outbreak pushes Steelers-Titans to Monday or Tuesday.
The Tennessee Titans have at least one more day to see if the team’s coronavirus outbreak is under control before their game with the Steelers is rescheduled for Monday or Tuesday.
Only one new positive test result came back Wednesday, a day after the Titans had three players and five team personnel test positive for COVID-19. More daily test results are upcoming.
The league announced the postponement from Sunday af ter noon on Wednesday.
The Titans hope to be allowed back inside their facility Saturday, though coach Mike Vrabel said that could happen before then or later. The Titans now are preparing to play as early as Monday. Vrabel said he’s confident the NFL will allow them some time to practice before the game.
“We’ve worked on short weeks before,” Vrabel said. “We’ve played three games in 13 days. I’m sure the other teams that we played before had a few extra days of practice. And so it’ll be important that the time that we do get to spend practicing, we take advantage of it.”
Out side lineba ckers coach Shane Bowen was the first to test positive, with the Titans learning Saturday of his results. He didn’t make the trip to Minnesota, where Tennessee won 31-30.
SAINTS’ THOMAS RETURNS TO PRACTICE AFTER MISSING 2 GAMES >> Saints top receiver Michael Thomas returned to practice for the first time since injuring his ankle in New Orleans’ season- opening victory over Tampa Bay on Sept. 13.
The Saints, who visit Detroit on Sunday, have lost both games Thomas has missed, falling to 1-2 and into second place in the NFC South Division.
College football
COMMISSIONERS DECLINE CFP EXPANSION AFTER PAC12 REQUEST >> The conference commissioners who manage the College Football Playoff have decided to stick with a four-team format during this pandemic-altered season after the Pac-12 made a request to consider expansion.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday that Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott asked the rest of management committee to consider having eight teams play for the national championship this season. ESPN first reported Scott broaching the subject.
The request was made because of disruptions to the season caused by the pandemic. Conferences are not playing the same number of games, are starting play at different times and there are no interconference matchups between Power Five leagues.
Motorsports
NASCAR ADDS DIRT TRACK, MORE ROAD COURSES FOR
2021 >> NASCAR promised radical changes to the 2021 schedule and delivered with six road courses, the first dirt race for the Cup Series since 1970 and new stops in Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas.
Dropped from the lineup were Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, two “cookie- cutter” intermediate tracks that were part of a staid schedule that lacked variation or originality. Michigan International Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway each lost one of two Cup Series points races.
Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Speedway in South Carolina each added a second race to their schedules.
Ind ia napolis Mot or Speedway will move the Cup Series cars to its road course after 27 years of racing on the big oval. The revamped “Brickyard Weekend” also will feature a new IndyCar Series race, making it a doubleheader for the second year in a row.
NASCAR’s annual trek to Sonoma is scheduled for June 6. The race was canceled this season because of the schedule changes caused by the pandemic.
NHL
RANGERS BUY OUT LONGTIME GOALIE LUNDQVIST >> The “King” of Madison Square Garden has been deposed.
The New York Rangers bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, parting ways with one of their greatest players in franchise history after 15 mostly spectacular seasons.
Lundqvist played in 887 games, posting a 459-31096 record with a 2.43 goalsagainst average. The man referred to as “The King” was limited to 30 games this past season and had a 10-12- 3 record with a career-worst 3.16 goalsagainst average.
Sports gambling
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT BUYS BOOKMAKER WILLIAM HILL FOR $3.7B >> Caesars Entertainment said it is buying the British bookmaker William Hill for $3.7 billion in a deal aimed at binding its casinos ever closer to the fast-growing legal sports betting industry in the U.S.
Caesars said it is interested in the the company’s U.S. assets, and indicated it would seek to sell off William Hill’s assets in the United Kingdom and other countries.
William Hill was founded in 1934 and grew to become a well-known name in the betting industry, particularly in England.