Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday 10/29/20
29 October 2020 Sports
The University of Wisconsin football team will halt all activities for at least a week after head coach Paul Chryst and eleven other players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
The pause will force the cancellation of the Badgers game this Saturday against the University of Nebraska. Per Big Ten guidelines for this season, the game will be considered a no contest, rather than a forfeit, and the game will not be rescheduled.
Outside of Chryst, the university did not release the names of any of the six staff members or six players who tested positive. Earlier in the week, reports surfaced freshman quarterback Graham Mertz had tested positive twice, but they have never been confirmed by UW Athletics.
Beyond those dozen cases, the team is awaiting the results of even more coronavirus tests.
“Over the past several days we have seen a rising number of student-athletes and staff contract the virus. The responsible thing for us to do is to pause football-related activities for at least seven days,” Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said.
Alvarez and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision to call the game in consultation with Big Ten officials, the university explained.
In UW’s statement (read below), Chryst said he learned of his positive test Wednesday morning and he is isolating at home. The head coach added he currently is not experiencing any symptoms.
“I am disappointed for our players and coaching staff who put so much into preparing to play each week. But the safety of everyone in our program has to be our top priority and I support the decision made to pause our team activities,” he continued.
The Badgers next game after the now-canceled one against the Cornhuskers would be a home game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Packers hope to keep their perfect win streak going against NFC North teams under Coach Matt LaFleur as they get set to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay (5-1) opened the season at Minnesota (1-5) with a 43-34 win. Mike Zimmer’s Vikings own the 5th-worst total defense in the NFL and rank 30th in points allowed, giving up 32 points per contest. But quarterback Aaron Rodgers still has a lot of respect for Zimmer and his defense.
“Every time we play a Mike Zimmer team I have to be ready for everything,” Rodgers said. “He is a phenomenal coach. To see him mentioned as being on the hot seat is crazy. I think he is one of the best coaches in the league and has been for a long time. They don’t all give you the trouble and the scheme that Mike does. I have a lot of respect for the way he coaches, and the way he especially coaches defense.”
On the injury front, left tackle David Bakhtiari headlined a list of players returning at practice. Also back were RB Tyler Ervin, S Darnell Savage, DL Tyler Lancaster, and Injured Reserve players WR Allen Lazard and ILB Christian Kirksey.
RB Aaron Jones and CB Kevin King are still sidelined, as was K Mason Crosby on Wednesday. While a lot of talk will surround the matchup between Davante Adams and the Minnesota defense, Matt LaFleur expects the biggest difference this time around to be the play of Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson against the Green Bay defense. Jefferson has caught on fast as a rookie after notching just 2 catches in the Week 1 meeting.
The Packers also signed G Ben Braden and CB KeiVarae Russell to the practice squad on Wednesday.
Braden spent last week on the Packers’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster on Saturday. He will wear No. 64 for Green Bay.
(kee-VAR-ay) Russell (5-11, 194), a fourth-year player out of the University of Notre Dame, was originally selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (No. 73 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was claimed off of waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals early in his rookie season and went on to play in 20 games with one start for the Bengals from 2016-18, recording 20 tackles (17 solo), two passes defensed and an interception. Russell also registered two solo tackles on special teams and blocked a field goal. After being released by the Bengals following the 2019 training camp, he spent some time on the practice squad of the Los Angeles Chargers and then was in training camp this season with the New York Giants. Russell will wear No. 34 for the Packers.
In Thursday Night Football, Atlanta is at Carolina. The Falcons are 1-6 while the Panthers are 3-4.
In high school sports, the Wautoma Girl’s volleyball team is competing in the sectionals tonight against Edgewood at Lake Mills starting at 7:00 and the Girl’s cross country team will be heading to state on Saturday at Colby.
The Miller family has entered into an agreement to sell the Utah Jazz and Vivint Smart Home Arena to Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith for $1.66 billion, sources told ESPN.
Smith, 40, is a lifelong Utah resident and Jazz fan who built software company Qualtrics before it sold for a reported $8 billion. Smith had a long-standing relationship with the Jazz franchise, which included a philanthropic jersey patch that raised more than $25 million in recent years. The NBA board of governors must formally approve the sale.
In NASCAR, Kyle Busch won the three-time-weather-delayed Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday. The victory was Busch’s first of the season, preserving a 16-year streak of winning at least one race per season, starting with his rookie year in 2005. It was his third win at the 1.5-mile speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, and the 57th of his career. Busch’s teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished second followed by Sunoco rookie Christopher Bell in third, Ryan Blaney in fourth and Alex Bowman in fifth. Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano completed the top 10.
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