Georgetown coach Ewing tests positive for COVID-19
Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital.
“This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly,” the Hall of Famer as a player for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks in the NBA said in a statement issued by the university. “I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Now more than ever, I want to thank the healthcare workers and everyone on the front lines. I’ll be fine and we will all get through this.”
The school said the 57-year-old Ewing is the only member of its men’s program who has contracted the coronavirus.
As a player, the 7-foot Ewing helped Georgetown win the 1984 NCAA men’s basketball championship and reach two other title games.
During Ewing’s four years playing for John Thompson Jr., Georgetown went 121-23, a winning percentage of .840.
He was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 draft after the Knicks won the NBA’s first lottery. Ewing wound up leading New York to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
Ewing played 17 seasons in the NBA, 15 with the Knicks.
College football
TEXAS GOVERNOR EXPECTS GAMES, FANS ON SCHEDULE >>
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he thinks college football will return on schedule with some level of fans in the stands.
Abbott has already issued new rules to allow youth sports leagues to resume in June and for some professional leagues to hold events without spectators. But the state rules have so far not touched college sports.
“Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands,” the Republican governor told Austin television station KXAN. “What we don’t know is what the capacity level would be.”
The University of Texas announced this week it would open campus to students for the regularly scheduled Aug. 26 start of the fall semester. But officials have not detailed social distancing plans or how the school will handle residence halls and athletics.
• The Southeastern Conference is allowing voluntary athletic activities to occur on each of its campuses starting June 8, at the discretion of each university.
SEC officials noted the workouts would take place “under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution.”
The SEC had suspended all athletic activities through May 31 due to the pandemic. SEC officials consider June 8 the start of a transition period allowing student-athletes to adapt gradually to full training.
The SEC decided to resume athletic activities June 8 with the guidance of the league’s task force on medical guidance and return to activity.
NFL
JETS, FLACCO AGREE TO TERMS ON 1-YEAR DEAL >> The New York Jets and quarterback Joe Flacco have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, the 2013 Super Bowl MVP’s agency announced on Twitter.
The move to bring in Flacco gives third-year starter Sam Darnold a veteran backup, but one who is also coming off a herniated disk that cut short his only season in Denver and required surgery to repair.
JL Sports, headed by agent Joe Linta, announced the agreement Friday. Financial terms were not immediately disclosed, but ESPN reported the deal is worth $1.5 million and could reach $4.5 million with incentives.
The 35-year-old Flacco spent his first 11 NFL seasons in Baltimore, where current Jets general manager Joe Douglas was a scout in 2008 — when the Ravens drafted the quarterback 18th overall out of Delaware. Flacco helped lead Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory to cap the 2012 season, beating Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers 34-31.
• Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams was arrested in Georgia this week and charged with marijuana and driving offenses.
He was stopped Tuesday just after 6 p.m. on suspicion of driving with a suspended registration and no insurance, according to a Houston County Sheriff’s Office report.
Tennis
OSAKA TOPS SERENA ON FORBES’ EARNINGS LIST >> Naomi Osaka has been a Grand Slam champion and No. 1 in the WTA rankings — and now she’s No. 1 on another list: topearning female athlete.
According to a story posted on Forbes.com on Friday, the 22-year-old player earned $37.4 million over the past 12 months from endorsements and prize money, eclipsing Serena Williams in that span.
Forbes said Osaka’s total is a one-year record for a female athlete, topping the previous mark of 29.7 million set by Maria Sharapova in 2015.
Osaka is No. 29 overall, with Williams at No. 33.