Tigers out of bowl due to virus issues

The Missouri Tigerswon’t play the final game of their 2020 season.

Mizzouwas slated to faceNo. 15 Iowa in theMusic City BowlWednesday, but after a rise in the number of COVID- 19 cases on the team, the game has been canceled, MU announced Sunday.

The decision ends Mizzou’s season. The Tigers finished 2020 with a 5- 5 record in MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s first year as head coach.

“Iamdisappointed thatwewere not able to finish the season against a tremendous opponent in the TransPerfectMusic City Bowl later this week,” Drinkwitz said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of the fight and resiliency that our players have shownthroughoutthis challenging season.”

The cancellation stemmed from an increase in positiveCOVID- 19 testsamong athletes, coaches and staff following the Tigers’ final game of the regular season. When they played Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., on Dec. 19, they had just 52 players available, which was below the SEC’s 53- player threshold.

MUathletic director Jim Sterk said four roundsof testshadbeenconductedover the past eight days, and those results showed a rise in coronavirus cases. The football program has paused all team activities through Jan. 2.

“Our student- athletes have been extremely diligent in following all of the SEC’s COVID- 19 testing protocols since returning to campus back in the summer, andwe are incredibly proudof their efforts to play every regular- season game this fall, aswell as the success they have had on the field against a 10- game all- SEC schedule that included five games against nationally- ranked opponents, and in the classroom during the fall semester,” Sterk said in a statement.

“However, this eight- day uptick within our program is significant and has made it impossible for us to play in the bowl game, whichIknowcomesas a disappointment to our student- athletes, coachesandfans, who were excited about the opportunity to play a great Iowa team inNashville.”

It wasn’t just Mizzou that was dealing with COVID- 19 issues in the leadup to the game. Iowa coach KirkFerentz tested positive a few days before the bowl announcement. At the time, it wasn’t expected that the Hawkeyes would need to pause football activities, butmorepositive tests led to a five- day halt.

TheHawkeyeswere backonthe practice field Saturday in preparation for the bowl.

Tennis: Roger Federer is withdrawing fromtheAustralian Open while he continues preparing to return to action after two operations on his right knee and a tour absence that will have lasted longer than a year, his agent told The Associated Press. Tony Godsick— Federer’s long- time representative and CEO of their management company, TEAM8 — said Sunday he is working on putting together a 2021 tennis calendar for the 20- time Grand Slam champion, who plans to get back on tour soon after the year’s first major tennis tournament. This ends Federer’s streak of 21 consecutive appearances atMelbourne Park, a run that began with his 2000 debut thereandincludes six championships. The 39- year- oldFederer is currently training in his usual offseason home of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.