Hurns first Dolphin to opt out due to COVID
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Allen Hurns announced Monday he is opting out of the 2020 because of COVID-19.
In a Twitter post, Hurns said “it wasn’t an easy decision,” but he has a baby boy on the way and that swayed his decision.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores released a statement on Hurns’ decision:
“I understand and completely support Allen’s decision,” Flores said. “It wasn’t an easy choice and I know he put a lot of thought into it. He had a conversation with the people closest to him and did what he felt was best for him and his family. I respect the process he went through and how he came to this decision. I wish him all the best and look forward to working with him next year.”
Hurns, 29 in November, is the first Dolphins player to opt out. Until Monday the Dolphins were one of a handful of teams without a player who had opted out.
Hurns was not guaranteed of being a starter this season but was expected to compete for playing time. Last season, Hurns played in 14 games with seven starts and was also inactive for two games. He caught 32 passes for 416 yards with two touchdowns.
Tankersley waived: Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley, drafted in the third round by the Dolphins, won’t get a fourth year in Miami. The Dolphins removed Tankersley from the COVID-19 list on Tuesday and immediately waived him, cementing his status as one of Miami’s bigger draft busts in the past few years. His time here was limited to 17 games and he didn’t have a single interception.
MLS IN SEMIFINALS
The MLS is Back Tournament
in Orlando heads into the semifinals Wednesday and Thursday with its bubble intact.
After Nashville SC and FC Dallas were sent home in early July due to virus outbreaks, the MLS tournament bubble has been a success. Since July 12, a total of 9,235 COVID-19 tests have been conducted on players, coaches and staff, and there has not been a single positive result.
Philadelphia Union plays the Portland Timbers in Wednesday’s semifinal and Orlando City plays Minnesota United on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in Fort Lauderdale,
Inter Miami players continue to undergo COVID-19 testing every other day, and there have been no new cases. The team is training daily, preparing to resume the regular season in late summer.
Inter Miami, which lost all three tournament games, still is awaiting its home debut in the club’s 18,000-seat Fort Lauderdale stadium.
The team is also still missing No. 1 draft pick Robbie Robinson, who left the Orlando bubble on July 6 for personal reasons to be with his family in South Carolina and has yet to rejoin the team. At the time, McDonough stressed that Robinson did not test positive for COVID-19 and his departure was for other reasons.
ETC.
NFL: The Detroit Lions removed quarterback Matthew Stafford from the COVID-IR list, saying he received a false positive test result. The team said in a statement that Stafford’s family members have all been tested and were also negative.
Tennis: Four-time U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal said he is withdrawing from the tournament, which begins Aug. 31, because of his concerns about travel during the coronavirus pandemic. Nadal, ranked No. 2 behind Novak Djokovic, won two of the past three years including 2019. Australians Nick Kyrgios and
Ashleigh Barty, the No. 1 women’s player, also pulled out this week.
Auto racing: Roger Penske has reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 on Aug. 23. Penske, who purchased the speedway in January, recently said attendance would be limited to 50% capacity but altered course with virus cases rising in Indiana.