By The Associated Press
The latest news on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports worldwide:
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South Carolina’s Saturday game in Mississippi was postponed because of the problems of COVID-19 for Gamecocks.
The Southeast Conference announced the decision on Thursday, citing a combination of positive tests, contact tracking and subsequent quarantine of individuals within the South Carolina basketball program.
No makeup date has been set.
The Rebels are scheduled to play in Florida next Tuesday. The Gamecocks’ next scheduled game is also Tuesday night, hosting No. 9 Tennessee.
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Florida’s 25th visit to Pittsburgh scheduled for Saturday was postponed due to the following COVID-19 testing problems under the Seminoles program.
The postponement is the third this week for the state of Florida. Duke’s visit to Tallahassee, Florida, last Saturday was postponed, as was a trip to Syracuse scheduled for Wednesday. The Panthers ended up playing against Orange instead, fighting for the 63-60 victory.
The Atlantic Coast Conference adjusted its schedule after the announcement. Pitt’s game against Georgia Tech, scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, was postponed one day.
The Yellow Jackets are having their own COVID-19 problems. The games against Notre Dame and Louisville scheduled for this week have already been postponed.
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The Big Ten women’s basketball game on Sunday between Rutgers and Ohio in Columbus was postponed due to an increase in positive COVID-19 tests within the Rutgers program.
Rutgers’ home game with Purdue on January 7 had been postponed. Schools will work with the conference to try to reschedule the game.
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At least Cleveland Browns won’t have to play in front of a sea of Terrible Towels when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs on Sunday.
The Steelers asked state officials to allow about 6,500 fans to enter Heinz Field, about 10% of capacity. The request was denied, meaning that the limit will remain at 2,500, allowing only family and friends, a policy established after an increase in COVID-19 cases across Pennsylvania.
After starting the season playing two games inside an empty stadium, restrictions were eased in the fall for three matches. A crowd of 5,260 watched Pittsburgh train the Browns 38-7 on October 18. The most strident restrictions went into effect in mid-November, and each of the Steelers’ final three games were played without fans.
Pittsburgh finished 7-1 at Heinz Field this season, a demonstration of mastery of the rare home field in 2020. The visiting teams recorded a winning record (128-127-1) this season, the first time since the AFL merger. -NFL in 1970.
“Anyone who has been (to Heinz Field) knows how special it would be,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “I hate it for them. I hate the Steelers for the energy and excitement it brings. But, again, this is what we are doing. That’s what we live for. ”
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The Cleveland Browns placed safety Ronnie Harrison on the COVID-19 reserve list while awaiting NFL permission to practice before Cleveland’s first playoff game since 2003.
Harrison is the latest infection of the Browns, who will be without coach Kevin Stefanski for Sunday’s wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after having tested positive for the virus. Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s medical director, says there has been “some spread” among the Browns’ players.
Security Andrew Sendejo was activated from the COVID list when Harrison was added, but the team lost seven rotating players and six coaches at this time and its training center in Berea, Ohio, remains closed.
The Browns did not have a training session on the field this week and quarterback Baker Mayfield said he had not given a pass since last Sunday and has been working on his footwork at home. Contact tracking and a review of test results are underway before a decision is made on Thursday’s training.
An NFL spokesman said “there has been no change in the status of the game”.
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The NBA says its latest round of testing for COVID-19 has returned four confirmed positive results from 498 players tested since December 30.
Any player who returns a confirmed positive test is isolated until released by leaving the isolation under rules established by the NBA and its players union, according to the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control.
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The Seton Hall women’s basketball game at No. 3 Connecticut, originally scheduled for February 10, will now be played next Wednesday in Storrs, Connecticut.
The Pirates were originally scheduled to play at Creighton on January 13, but the game was postponed due to the Bluejays’ current break.
Creighton women paused the team’s activities and postponed three games due to a recent positive result from the COVID-19 test. The team is on this break for at least another eight days.
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The Tulsa-Central Florida men’s basketball game scheduled for Saturday in Tulsa was postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracking between UCF athletes.
The American Athletic Conference made the announcement on Thursday. The game has not yet been rescheduled.
It is the second direct postponement of UCF for the same reasons.
Tulsa’s next game is scheduled for January 13 in Wichita state. The Golden Hurricane is in a six-game winning streak.
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The Georgia women’s basketball team posted two more games from the Sun Belt Conference after additional positive tests for COVID-19.
The Panthers (4-3) stopped all athletic activities last week after two positive tests, leading to the postponement of home games against Coastal Carolina on January 1 and 2.
The school announced on Thursday that the shutdown will continue for another seven days. Georgia was scheduled to host Troy State on Friday and Saturday.
No decision was made on rescheduling the postponed games.
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The Cleveland Browns remains away from its facilities and field of practice while waiting for the results of the COVID-19 just days before its first playoff game in nearly two decades.
The team was limited to just virtual meetings after trainer Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and three others tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
The Browns play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night in an AFC wild card game.
Stefanski will not be left out of Cleveland’s first post-season appearance since January 5, 2003. Special team coordinator Mike Priefer will replace Stefanski.
NFL rules prohibit any coach from participating remotely during games.
The Browns hope to get some players back from the COVID-19 list for the game. One of them is cornerback Denzel Ward. He tested positive last week and missed Cleveland’s 24-22 victory over Pittsburgh last Sunday.
Ward is Cleveland’s best defensive back and will be assigned to Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster or Chase Claypool.
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South Carolina’s No. 5 disrupted the team’s activities and postponed the women’s basketball game with Georgia on Thursday night.
The team said a combination of a positive coronavirus test, contact tracking and quarantine led them to stop things until further tests are done.
Gamecocks are scheduled to play at No. 10 Kentucky on Sunday.
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