No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 2 Baylor called off over positive virus tests
INDIANAPOLIS — Coaches Mark Few of Gonzaga and Scott Drew of Baylor scheduled Saturday’s game for all the right seasons.
They wanted their teams to have another early-season test and play in front of a national TV audience. The game on CBS between the nation’s top two college basketball teams figured to draw excellent ratings. For now, No. 1 vs. No. 2 is off. Less than 90 minutes before tipoff, the teams announced the postponement because of two positive COVID-19 tests in the top-ranked Bulldogs program. In a joint statement, the schools said one player and one nonplayer in the Gonzaga travel party tested positive. The unidentified player didn’t play Wednesday against No. 11 West Virginia.
“We’re disappointed to not be able to play one of the most anticipated games of the season, but we are following the advice of public health officials,” the coaches said. “When we decided to play during a pandemic, our priorities were protecting the health and safety of student-athletes and following public health guidelines, and we’re proud of how both programs have held true to those promises.
“There are much greater issues in this world than not being able to play a basketball game, so we’re going to continue praying for everyone who has been affected by this pandemic.”
Before heading back to Waco, Texas, Drew told reporters on a Zoom call both programs wanted to play but it was determined they couldn’t do it safely after consulting with the Indiana State Health Commissioner, the Marion County Public Health Director and both team physicians.
The coaches hope to reschedule the game for later this season. Drew said they’re already discussing possible make-up dates and potential sites though the more immediate priority was getting home and completing finals.
NFL
LAS VEGAS — Former NFL player Vontaze Burfict, a linebacker who in 2019 received the most severe punishment in league history for an onfield infraction, was arrested in Las Vegas, according to court records.
Online records for Las Vegas Justice Court said Burfict was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge. The records did not list a defense attorney for Burfict who could comment on his behalf about the allegation.
Burfict, 30, was released on his own recognizance, according to court records.
MLB
Major League Baseball and all 30 of its teams are suing their insurance providers, citing billions of dollars in losses during the 2020 season played almost entirely without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The suit, filed in October in California Superior Court in Alameda County, was obtained late Friday by The Associated Press. It says providers AIG, Factory Mutual and Interstate Fire and Casualty Company have refused to pay claims made by MLB despite the league’s “all-risk” policy purchases.
The league claims to have lost billions of dollars on unsold tickets, hundreds of millions on concessions, tens of millions on parking and millions more on suites and luxury seat licenses, in-park merchandise sales and corporate sponsorships.
It also cites over a billion dollars in local and national media losses, plus tens of millions in missed income for MLB Advanced Media. It says all of those losses should be covered by their policies.