Tide’s Saban positive, will miss Iron Bowl
Head coach Nick Saban of No. 1 Alabama has tested positive for the coronavirus just days before the Iron Bowl with No. 22 Auburn.
Team physician Dr. Jimmy Robinson and head trainer Jeff Allen said in a joint statement that the positive test came Wednesday morning.
“He has very mild symptoms, so this test will not be categorized as a potential false positive,” the statement said. “He will follow all appropriate guidelines and isolate at home.”
The Crimson Tide are set to face theor biggest rival Saturday at BryantDenny Stadium without the 69yearold, sixtime national champion coach. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, a former head coach at USC and Washington, will oversee the team on game day.
Saban said he has had a runny nose, but no major symptoms. He had received a false positive ahead of the game with Georgia but didn’t have any symptoms that time and was cleared to coach in the game after subsequent tests leading up to the game came back negative.
No. 7 Cincinnati’s game at Temple set for Saturday was canceled because both teams are dealing with virus issues. It’s the 11th game this week to be postponed or canceled across major college football.
USC spent the day in virtual meetings following the team’s first inseason positive test for the virus, but the No. 19 Trojans are on track to play Colorado on Saturday if the program’s additional testing goes well.
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Martinez’s Stephenson traded to Rockies
The Colorado Rockies and
Cincinnati Reds swapped three pitchers in a fourplayer trade. The Rockies acquired righthander Robert Stephenson, 27, and minorleague outfielder Jameson Hannah from the Reds for righthanded pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Case Williams, a minorleaguer.
Stephenson, who is from Martinez, made 10 relief appearances for the Reds last season and 59 in 2019. In five seasons with the Reds, he was 1013 with a 5.15 ERA in 104 appearances that included 22 starts.
Hoffman, 27, went 21 with a 9.28 ERA in a careerhigh 16 relief appearances for Colorado in 2020. In five seasons with the Rockies, he was 1016 with a 6.40 ERA in 68 games.
Hannah, 23, didn’t appear in a game in 2020. The Reds acquired him from the A’s in 2019.
Soccer: After the Champions League paused for a minute’s silence before games to pay tribute to the late Diego Maradona, defending champion Bayern Munich (31 over Salzburg) and Manchester City (10 over Olympiakos) won to advance to the knockout rounds.
NHL: New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk retired as a result of an eye injury sustained last season. Boychuk, 36, required stitches and plastic surgery after being cut across his right eyelid by the skate of Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen on March 3.
Boychuk spent six seasons with the Islanders and six with Boston, where Boychuk won a Stanley Cup in 2011. Overall, he had 54 goals and 152 assists for 206 points in 725 career games.