SPORTS BRIEFS
Steelers DB Fitzpatrick placed on COVID-19 list
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday placed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the NFL’S reserve/covid-19 list, where he joins quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Teams are not required to release information whether players are vaccinated. If Fitzpatrick is, he would be required to be free of symptoms and have two negative tests 24 hours apart. If he is not vaccinated, the playmaking defensive back could be sidelined for at least 10 days.
Roethlisberger sat out Sunday’s 16-16 tie with winless Detroit and his return for next week’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers is uncertain.
Pittsburgh acquired Fitzpatrick in an early season trade with Miami in 2019. He has been a two-time All-pro and has four touchdowns among his 11 interceptions with the Steelers. He does not have an interception this season.
NFL Honors moved to Thursday during Super Bowl week
NFL Honors, the prime-time television program during which The Associated Press individual league awards are revealed, will be held on a Thursday for the first time, and will be broadcast live by ABC.
The show on Feb. 10 will originate from the Youtube Theater at the Sofi Entertainment District in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California, and also will be available on NFL Network and ESPN+.
In addition to the AP’S awards for
MVP, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player, Offensive Player and Offensive Rookie, Defensive Player and Defensive Rookie, and Assistant Coach of the Year, the program will feature the league’s Walter Payton Man of the Year announcement.
The 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class also will be revealed during the telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. EST.
NBA fines T-wolves $250K for illegal offseason workouts
The NBA fined the Minnesota Timberwolves $250,000 on Monday for violating league rules that prohibit teams from arranging or paying for offseason practice or group workout sessions for their players outside their home market.
The punishment was connected to team activities that took place in the
Miami area in early September, the league announced.
Timberwolves coaches, players and staff gathered for on-court work and offcourt bonding in south Florida, where new co-owner Alex Rodriguez resides.
The team and players posted several photos and videos to social media during the trip, which took place about two weeks before president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was fired.
NHL postpones three games amid Senators’ virus outbreak
The NHL postponed three Ottawa Senators games on Monday amid a COVID-19 outbreak on the team, the first time any North American major professional sports league has been hit by rescheduling this fall because of the coronavirus.
Games scheduled for Tuesday at New Jersey, at home Thursday against Nashville and at home Saturday against the New York Rangers were postponed. Ten Senators players are currently in the NHL’S COVID-19 protocol.
While Ottawa played shorthanded Sunday in a 4-0 loss to Calgary, the depth of the outbreak led to the decision to postpone games, which the league said was made in light of evidence of continued spread in recent days. The Senators are shut down through at least Saturday, with their training facilities closed to players until then as a precaution.