Pac-12 postpones games
The Pac-12's football schedule has been scrambled for a second straight week, with positive COVID-19 tests leading to the cancellation of both the Arizona State-California and UCLA-Utah games — and the scheduling of another.
Arizona State's home opener was nixed Friday because of several positive COVID-19 tests among the team's players and coaching staff, including head coach Herm Edwards. The school said that the positive tests put the football team below 53 available scholarship players, which is the minimum allowed according to the league's cancellation policy. At noon Sunday (Pacific time), UCLA will host California.
UAB: The Blazers have called off a second consecutive football game because of positive COVID- 1 9 tests. UAB scrapped a trip to Texas next week to play UTEP. The game had already been moved to Midland, about 300 miles east of El Paso, because of a massive surge of coronavirus cases in the far West Texas city. The game was supposed to be played next Friday. The decision not to go to Texas came a day after UAB called off a home game against North Texas. In both cases, officials say they might try to reschedule the games.
IOWA: A lawyer for 13 Black former Iowa football players announced Thursday that he has filed a lawsuit alleging his clients suffered racial discrimination under longtime coach Kirk Ferentz.
The plaintiffs, including former star running back Akrum Wadley and career receptions leader Kevonte Martin-Manley, suffered “serious and pervasive discriminatory treatment and harassment ," according to a press release from attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons.
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NFL: Philip Rivers threw for 308 yards and a touchdown, and Nyheim Hines scored twice as the Indianapolis Colts trounced the Tennessee Titans 34-17 Thursday night to grab the head-tohead edge atop the AFC South.
NBA: A person with knowledge of the situation says Caron Butler is coming back to the Miami Heat, agreeing to begin his coaching career as an assistant on Erik Spoelstra's staff.
Butler was the No. 10 pick by the Heat in the 2002 draft and spent two seasons with the team, getting moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004 as part of the deal that brought Shaquille O'Neal to Miami.
M LS: Major League Soccer intends to open its 2021 season as planned in early March but will remain nimble because of the coronavirus.
The league plans to play an entire regular season while working around the international calendar, which was made busier because of events pushed back by the pandemic.