The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Eric Ebron and reserve linebacker Cassius Marsh on the reserve/COVID-19 list, putting their status for the playoffs in jeopardy.
The move also leaves the AFC North champions further depleted for their regular-season finale in Cleveland on Sunday. The Steelers (12-3) are already assured of finishing no worse than third in the AFC while Cleveland (10-5) can end an 18-year playoff drought with a victory.
The team announced quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, outside linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive end Cam Heyward, center Maurkice Pouncey will not make the trip to give them additional rest ahead of the postseason. Kicker Chris Boswell and safety Terrell Edmunds are also out due to injury.
Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback in place of Roethlisberger with J.C. Hassenauer likely filling in for Pouncey at center. Matthew Wright will kick for Boswell, who will miss his third game in a month with hip/groin issues. Justin Layne or Cam Sutton could fill in for Haden at cornerback.
To provide some depth, the Steelers promoted offensive Anthony Coyle and wide receiver Deon Cain to the active roster and elevated Wright and tight end Kevin Rader and Wright to the from the practice squad as COVID-19 replacements.
Per NFL COVID-19 protocols, a player placed on the reserve list due to contact tracing can return after five days provided they continue to test negative. A player who tests positive for the novel coronavirus but does not show symptoms needs to wait 10 days to return to football activities or test positive twice within a 24-hour period. A player who tests positive and is symptomatic must wait at least 10 days from the time symptoms first appeared, and at least 24 hours since last experiencing symptoms before returning to football activities.
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Both head coaches were absent when the No. 7 Baylor women played at TCU on Saturday.
TCU said coach Raegan Pebley missed the game due to a quarantine period after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The school said Pebley tested negative but was following medical protocol to isolate.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey also wasn’t at the game, though the school didn’t immediately say why. A school spokesman said associate head coach Bill Brock would address questions after the game. Brock was coaching in Mulkey’s place.
Associate head coach Hanna Howard was handling head coaching duties for the Horned Frogs.
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The Seattle Seahawks placed offensive tackle Brandon Shell and safety Damarious Randall on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday.
It’s the first time this season the Seahawks have put players currently on the active 53-man roster on the COVID-19 list.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Shell had a close contact with someone who tested positive but that Shell had tested negative. Carroll said on Friday the team was still trying to determine if Shell would need to go on the COVID list.
Shell has started 11 games at right tackle, but had missed time recently with an ankle injury.
Randall had missed the past two games due to a foot injury.
Seattle also activated cornerback Tre Flowers from injured reserve and downgraded running back Carlos Hyde to out for Sunday’s game against San Francisco. Hyde had been unable to practice this week due to a non-COVID related illness.
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The men’s basketball game Saturday between DePaul and St. John's has been postponed due to a COVID-19 issue within the Red Storm program.
St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg called it "unequivocally the right thing to do" and thanked DePaul coach Dave Leitao and the school's administration and Big East Conference for their cooperation.
The contest will be rescheduled for a later date.
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Miami Dolphins reserve linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill will miss Sunday’s game at Buffalo because of an illness not related to COVID-19, the team said.
Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went on the reserve-COVID-19 list Thursday and will miss the game as Miami tries to clinch an AFC wild-card berth.
Every player on the active roster practiced Thursday and Friday, and coach Brian Flores expressed optimism about the likelihood Fitzpatrick’s infection was an isolated case within the team.
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A second Cleveland Browns coach has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team's big game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team has not yet identified the coach, who will miss Sunday’s game. Cleveland has again closed its headquarters to conduct contact tracing, which has been the norm all week.
Wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea previously tested positive and will be replaced by team chief of staff Callie Brownson.
The Browns, who can clinch their first playoff berth since 2002 with a win on Sunday, have had seven players and two coaches test positive in the past week.
The team practiced Friday after cancelling their workout Thursday and getting just an hour on the field Wednesday because of new COVID-19 cases and protocols.
Coach Kevin Stefanski had planned a walk-through for Saturday, but that has been delayed. A week ago, the team was preparing to leave for the New York area when a positive test led to several players, including the top four wide receivers being held out of a loss to the Jets.
Top cornerback Denzel Ward, linebackers B.J. Goodson and Malcolm Smith, safety Andrew Sendejo and tight end Harrison Bryant will miss the Steelers game after testing positive.
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Virginia Commonwealth postponed its men’s basketball game Saturday against Davidson because of COVID-19 protocols.
The school said it is pausing all team activities, which will resume once all personnel clear coronavirus protocols. No decisions have been made on further Rams games.
The school says it is following guidelines from the Atlantic 10 Conference, the university and Virginia Department of Health to protect the safety of players, coaches, staff and the VCU community.
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Fulham’s game scheduled Sunday at Burnley has been postponed after the London club discovered more positive coronavirus cases.
The Premier League’s announcement follows the postponement of Fulham’s game on Wednesday against Tottenham.
As a result, Fulham’s players and staff then underwent more testing which resulted in “a further increase in positive COVID-19 cases.”
The League said it “continues to have confidence in its COVID-19 protocols, fully backed by the government, to enable fixtures to be played as scheduled.”
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