Vikings’ Cook out after dad’s death
Dalvin Cook’s incredible season has come to an end as theVikings running back left the team thisweek after the death of his father, and he will be unavailable for Sunday’s regular- season finale against theLions, according to a league source.
Cook left for Miami to be with family after his father, James, unexpectedly passed away. Even if hewere available to play in Detroit, Cook likely couldn’t because of theNFL’sCOVID- 19 protocols that require five days of entry testing if the daily testing routine is interrupted.
“Tragic news,” Vikings quarterback KirkCousins saidWednesday morning. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and justwant him to take all the time he needs to process through that. Very sorry to hear that.”
Cook’s fourthNFLseason ends with a league- leading 1,918 yards fromscrimmage, which will likely slip to second with Titans running back DerrickHenry just 27 yards behind him. Cook signed a five- year, $ 63 million contract extension in September that put him among the top- five highest paid running backs, and he established his place in that tier with his play.
OnlyHenry has more thanCook’s 1,557 rushing yards and nobody has more than his 16 rushing touchdowns in just 14 games. It’s the third- best rushing season inVikings franchise history, trailing only Adrian Peterson in 2012 ( 2,097) and 2008 ( 1,760).
The NFL cites outside influences for the most recent set of positive coronavirus tests, including exposures during the holiday season. There were 21 new confirmedpositive testsamongplayersand 37 among other personnel in the league’s latest round of testing for COVID- 19. Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, referred to three sources of exposure: household, outside medical providers, and community/ social settings.“We sharedthat message with all our clubs and the players association,” Sills saidWednesday, noting that the holiday season is not over. He also mentioned that therehas been widespread testing with familymembers “and aswe’ve seen thenumbers rise, clubshave seen that and tried to test more family members.”
NHL: Longtime Bruins captain Zdeno Chara signed with theCapitalsonWednesday, saying his former team had decided to move on from the towering defenseman who helped the Bruins climb back into the top and win the Stanley Cup in 2011. The stunning move— Chara agred to terms on a one- year contractworth just $ 795,000— came less than a week before most NHL teams open training camp. The Bruins haven’t opened camp without Chara since 2005, the first season after a yearlong lockout.“TheBoston Bruinshave informedme that they plan to move forward with their many younger and talented players, and I respect their decision,” Chara posted on Instagram. “Unfortunately, my time as the proud captain of the Bruins has cometo an end.” ... ThePredators will start their season Jan. 14 without fans for the foreseeable future withCOVID- 19 cases surging in the area. The Predators announced the decisionWednesday, noting they want to not be a detriment to theNashvillecommunity. The team had been working on a plan for reopening for months with the local board of health and theNashvillemayor’s office.