The NBA continues to take positive steps toward resuming a season that was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league Board of Governors has approved a 22-team format for restarting the season in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida.
The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in each conference postseason field. The 22-team plan includes all teams that were holding playoff spots when the season was stopped, plus all other clubs within six games of a postseason berth. That means 13 teams from the Western Conference and nine from the East. The players association has a call on Friday to approve the plan as well, the final step as the league attempts a reboot.
In other virus-related sports news:
Major League Baseball is no closer to framing an agreement for starting the season. Players have reaffirmed their stance for full prorated pay, leaving a huge gap with teams that could scuttle plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season around the Fourth of July and may leave owners focusing on a schedule as short as 50 games.
The National Hockey League is allowing team facilities to reopen and players to take part in voluntary on- and off-ice workouts beginning Monday. Players can skate or work out in groups of up to six at a time. Unlike training camps scheduled to begin sometime in July, these workouts are not mandatory for players. The league also has nailed down the final details of a playoff format if the season can resume. Every playoff series will be a best of seven after the qualifying round and teams will be re-seeded along the way instead of bracketing. The announcement came on the heels of the Pittsburgh Penguins revealing one of their players tested positive for COVID-19. The team said the unidentified player was not in Pittsburgh, was isolated after experiencing symptoms and has recovered. The NHL has not yet announced the start of voluntary workouts or a firm timeline for training camps and the resumption of games. Each conference will play its postseason games in a separate hub city to be announced. The top four teams in each conference will compete in a round-robin to determine seeding, while the next eight teams in each conference will battle for a spot in the opening round. The seven other teams have received spots in the draft lottery.
A day after announcing a deal with its players' association to resume the season with a tournament in Florida, Major League Soccer says teams may resume training. MLS says each player and staff member must complete two tests for the coronavirus 24 hours apart, 72 hours ahead of the start of training. Every player also must have a test for antibodies and a physical. Testing for antibodies will take place every three months. Testing providers must be authorized by the FDA or Health Canada.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has told the 32 clubs in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that coaching staffs may work from team complexes starting Friday. Previously, only up to 75 people per day could be at the facilities, with coaches and players not seeking treatment for injuries barred. The maximum number of club employees in each facility will be increased to 100, subject to governmental regulations and implementation of health protocols developed by the NFL's medical staff.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway will hold the July 4 IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader without fans. Also, NASCAR is set to run its All-Star race on July 15, a Wednesday night, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR will keep its scheduled twin-bill weekend later this month at Pocono Raceway. Kansas Speedway will host the Cup Series for a Thursday night race July 23.
The International Olympic Committee is in talks with insurers over compensation for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games. The IOC pays for insurance against the cancellation of an Olympics, but it is unclear if its policy covers a one-year postponement. The IOC said last month it set aside $650 million to cover potential extra costs for the postponement. Costs for organizers in Japan are expected to run to billions of dollars.
Rafael Nadal says if he had to decide right now he wouldn't play in the U.S. Open, but he wants to wait and see what happens with the coronavirus pandemic. The 19-time Grand Slam champion thinks it's important that there be two requirements for tennis to return: assuring everyone's health and making sure players from all countries can travel. All sanctioned tennis has been on hold since March.
NCAA
The NCAA has set a new schedule for early entrants to the NBA draft to withdraw and return to school. Players will now have until 10 days after the NBA scouting combine or Aug. 3, whichever comes earlier.
Federal legislation setting guidelines for college athletes to pursue money-making opportunities could be proposed within a month. Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez plans to introduce the bill and says there will be no blanket antitrust exemption for the NCAA. The Republican congressman says it's imperative for Congress to act in time to render moot the array of state laws that are being considered or already have passed and are slated to go into effect as soon as next year. The NCAA announced five weeks ago that it would move forward with a plan to allow athletes to earn money for endorsements, personal appearances and social media content, among other things. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has said there will be no caps on how much an athlete can earn. Smith led the Knight Commission that produced the recommendations approved by the Board of Governors. Still, the issue of a possible antitrust exemption for the NCAA has been raised because some states suspect the NCAA will use "guardrails" to put limits on athletes and their ability to maximize their earning potential in a free market.
NFL
Drew Brees is apologizing for comments that he now says were "insensitive and completely missed the mark" when he reiterated his opposition to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. Those remarks, in an interview with Yahoo, drew sharp criticism from fellow high-profile athletes and others in the wake of George Floyd's death. Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James, New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and former NFL player Martellus Bennett were just some of the high-profile athletes to criticize Brees on their Twitter feeds. James says he couldn't believe Brees was still confused about what Kaepernick was trying to do. The Lakers' star says kneeling was not about showing disrespect to the flag or the military but instead about police brutality. In an Instagram post Thursday, Brees said he was apologizing to his friends, teammates, New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community and "anyone I hurt with my comments." He says his words "lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy" and had become "divisive and hurtful."
PROTESTS
Florida State football coach Mike Norvell has apologized after a star player accused him of lying about personally connecting with each player to discuss the police killing of George Floyd and ensuing protests against racial injustice. Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said last night on Twitter that he and his teammates were "outraged" by Norvell's characterization of the contact the white, first-year coach had with the players. Wilson, who is black, went back to social media on Thursday to say the matter was settled.
Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry wants an apology from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee for shaming her last summer. She captured headlines when she used her turn on the gold-medal podium at the Pan-Am Games to raise her fist as a show of her frustration with America's treatment of blacks. The USOPC put Berry on a 12-month probation for her gesture. Berry found it galling the USOPC recently issued a statement saying the organization "stands with those who demand equality."
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