NFL owners OK rules changes
NFL owners on Wednesday approved eliminating overtime in preseason games.
The league also will allow on-field officials to get certain “objective information” from the replay official and designated members of the officiating department “when clear and obvious video evidence is present.”
During a virtual meeting, the 32 owners also tabled a proposal by the Eagles to find a solution to the near-disappearance of the onside kick. The proposal was that a team be given two chances per game to retain possession after a score by converting a fourth-and-15 play from its 25-yard line.
Owners did approve establishing a maximum number of players in the setup zone in hopes of enhancing onside kick opportunities. Defending teams will be limited to nine players in that zone.
The league also announced that its 2021 schedule, the first with a 17-game regular season, will be released May 12.
New Seahawks DE Aldon Smith turned himself in to authorities in Louisiana after an arrest warrant had been issues following an incident last weekend. Smith, 31, was booked on a second degree battery charge Tuesday night and released on $25,000 bond. Smith played for the Cowboys last season after being banned by the league for four years due to multiple off-field incidences as well as a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy . ... Free agent WR Antonio Brown resolved a civil dispute with former trainer Britney Taylor, who in a 2019 lawsuit had accused Brown of sexually assaulting her. A settlement was reached, but per the agreement, no terms can be disclosed, ESPN reported.
College basketball: Florida F Keyontae Johnson, who was hospitalized after collapsing during a game in December, announced that he will not enter this year’s NBA draft and is waiting for medical clearance to return to the Gators for next season. The cause of his collapse has yet to be revealed, but his family said it was unrelated to COVID-19. Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 last summer.
Hockey: The NHL confirmed it hasn’t guaranteed loosened virus protocols for players who are vaccinated. The NFL, NBA and MLB have set vaccination thresholds to relax some protocols, such as mask-wearing and prohibition of outdoor dining, when a certain percentage of team personnel are fully inoculated against COVID-19. Those leagues have all teams currently playing in the U.S., where everyone 16 and older can get a vaccine. Canada only recently opened access to the vaccine to 40 and older in some jurisdictions . ... The International Ice Hockey Federation postponed the women’s world hockey championships after health officials in Nova Scotia, Canada, scrapped plans to hold the tournament next month because of COVID-19 concerns. New dates have yet to be determined.
NBA: F Deni Avdija suffered an apparent serious injury to his lower right leg and was taken from the court in a wheelchair during the Wizards’ game against the Warriors.
Olympics: Tokyo Games officials announced that a decision on venue capacity for fans or if any fans will be allowed to attend events may not be made until June, just weeks before the games begin. Fans from abroad have already been barred due to the pandemic . ... The U.S. will open the women’s Olympic soccer tournament July 21 against Sweden, the team that beat the World Cup champion Americans in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio Games.