SEC hit hard by COVID-19

The Southeastern Conference is taking a hit from COVID-19.

The conference on Nov. 9 postponed the Nov. 16 game between No. 20 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantining within the Bulldogs’ program.

The SEC requires programs to have at least 53 scholarship players available for games. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said the Bulldogs were just a player away from having to postpone last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.

“Fortunately we didn’t have to,” Leach said. “We knew there was a pretty good chance we’d have to cancel this week just because we were that close (last week).”

No. 5 Texas A& M paused in-person activities after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a win at South Carolina. LSU is battling an outbreak that could put its Nov. 16 game against No. 1 Alabama in jeopardy. And Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has tested positive and could miss the game at No. 6 Florida.

The problems Nov. 9 extended beyond the SEC, too: Michigan State announced that men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19, the Mountain West canceled Air Force’s scheduled football game at Wyoming this Nov, 16 due to an “upward trend” of COVID-19 cases at the academy and the Pac-12 opened its season over the weekend with two games postponed.

MLB

LUHNOW FILES $22M BREACH OF CONTRACT AGAINST ASTROS » Former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the team, seeking more than $22 million in salary owed under his deal when he was fired in January.

The suit, filed in Harris County District Court in Houston, claims Luhnow was unaware a camera was used to steal signs during the team’s run to the 2017 World Series title, which baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred found violated baseball rules against electronics.

Luhnow and Manager AJ Hinch were suspended for the season last Jan. 13 by Manfred and fired by the Astros later that day. The team was fined $5 million and stripped of its first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021.

Luhnow’s lawyers alleged Tom Koch-Weser, the Astros’ director of advance information, was the only one of 70 witnesses in MLB’s investigation to claim Luhnow spoke of electronic sign stealing.

Luhnow agreed to a contract on May 24, 2018, that called for more than $31 million in guaranteed compensation plus performance bonuses and profit interest.

NFL

STEELERS HAVE POSITIVE COVID TEST » The undefeated Steelers are dealing with their first case of a player testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the regular season.

Team spokesman Burt Lauten says the club was notified of the positive test on Monday morning, hours after the Steelers improved to 8-0 with a 24-19 win over the Cowboys. Lauten says the player immediately selfquarantined and the Steelers remain in the NFL’s intensive protocol.

The Steelers have notified the league and have been in contact with medical advisors to begin contact tracing. Pittsburgh announced last week that an unidentified staffer had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The team had been COVID-19 free during the first half of the season.