No. 2 Baylor halts team activities

No. 2 Baylor has paused team activities because of COVID-19 issues, leading to another high-profile game getting nixed for the Bears.

The Bears were scheduled to play their Big 12 opener Sunday against No. 13 Texas, but Baylor coach Scott Drew announced the pause in team activities Saturday. Baylor’s scheduled game Tuesday night against Tarleton State, added just last week, has also been postponed and the status of a Dec. 19 game at Kansas State is still to be determined.

Both the Texas and Tarleton State games could be rescheduled.

“This is a disappointing time for everyone involved with our program, but we will always prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes,” Drew said. “The Big 12 Conference prepared for this possibility by leaving the final week of the regular season open, and we look forward to hosting Texas at a later date. Our program will return to competition as soon as we can do so safely.”

Drew missed the team’s first two games after testing positive for COVID-19, though at the time his was the first positive test in the program in 12 weeks.

He returned for the Bears’ win over No. 6 Illinois on Dec. 2.

The school didn’t provide any additional details on what led the pause Saturday.

Boxing: Anthony Joshua retained his world heavyweight titles with a ninth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev on Saturday, potentially setting up an all-British fight against Tyson Fury to be undisputed champion of boxing’s marquee division.

Golf: Patrick Reed rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt at the last hole to move into a three-way tie for the third-round lead at the World Tour Championship on Saturday, keeping him on track to become the first American to finish a season as the European Tour’s No. 1 player.

NFL: The Ownership of the Titans is remaining with the Adams family with Susie Adams Smith agreeing to sell her share of the team to the family-controlled KSA Industries Inc. Amy Adams Strunk will hold a 50% share with the other 50% held by Kenneth Adams IV, Barclay Adams and Susan Lewis. Those three will continue as owners of the Titans with Adams Strunk continuing as controlling owner in a sale expected to be completed by the end of this year. Financial details of the sale were not available. The sale requires league approval and is expected to be on the agenda of Wednesday’s NFL owners meeting. “The Titans franchise has meant so much to me and my family over the 61 years of its existence,” Adams Strunk said in a statement to The Associated Press. ... Lions defensive end Everson Griffen was placed on the COVID-19 list a day before he was expected to play a key role against the Packers. The Lions announced Griffen is on the list created for players who either test positive for the coronavirus or have been in close contact with an infected person. The team says no other players were affected by the league’s coronavirus protocols going into its home game against the Packers on Sunday.