Falcons 1st to vaccination milestone
The Falcons became the first NFL team to report being 100% vaccinated for COVID-19, the team announced on Twitter.
The team also has been proactive with vaccinations in the community, offering vaccines at its preseason game Friday and the team’s practice inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this month.
The Falcons did have five players on the COVID-19 list at the start of training camp, but all have since been removed.
Vaccination is required for all NFL coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers and scouts. Players aren’t required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, per an agreement with the players’ union, but those who don’t face stricter protocols during training camp and throughout the season — such as daily testing, mask wearing and travel restrictions — that vaccinated players are able to forgo.
After returning to the field for a week, Texans QB Deshaun Watson didn’t practice Monday. There was no specific explanation by the team. Watson, who reported to camp on July 25 after requesting a trade in January, practiced for the first five days of training camp, wasn’t on the field for the next five days and then returned for all four days of the third week of practice. Watson faces 22 active lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior . ... Ravens backup QB Trace McSorley will miss the rest of the preseason with a back injury. McSorley injured his back picking up a box Saturday, just hours before the Ravens’ preseason opener. He played with back spasms and completed 11 of 18 passes for 86 yards with an INT . ... Retired QB Alex Smith, 37, who returned to play last season after suffering a devastating leg injury two years earlier and won comeback player of the year, was hired by ESPN as an NFL analyst.
College football: Roger Harring, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Wisconsin-La Crosse to two NCAA Division III titles, died Thursday. He was 88. Harring coached Wisconsin-La Crosse from 1969-99 and posted a 261-75-7 record. The Eagles won three national titles during his tenure, also taking the NAIA D-II crown in 1985. Wisconsin-La Crosse won its first NCAA D-III title in 1992 and second in 1995. Harring’s 261 total wins put him in a tie for fifth among all D-III coaches in history.
NBA: Restricted free-agent guard Josh Hart is closing in on a three-year, $38 million agreement to stay with the Pelicans, ESPN reported. Hart, 26, averaged 9.2 points and a career-high 8.0 rebounds last season.