Jun 15, 2020 3 min read

WVU football player tests positive

A football player at West Virginia has tested positive for the coronavirus, the school said Monday on the first day of voluntary workouts.

The school’s athletic department said in a statement that contact tracing identified other football players who could have been exposed to the athlete. Both the player who tested positive and the others he may have been in contact with will isolate themselves for 14 days, the statement said.

Voluntary workouts will continue for players who have tested negative for the virus, the statement said.

When West Virginia begins its fall semester on Aug. 19, students must wear masks on campus, including in class. Students, faculty and staff must be tested for the virus before they return to campus and complete a coronavirus education course.

At The Meadows

Final Breath shed faltering cover just in time and powered home to spring an 8-1 upset in the $17,900 Open Handicap Trot at The Meadows on Monday, the track’s reopening day after a 91-day COVID-19 shutdown.

With so many horses racing off stale dates. Monday’s card provided a bonanza for long shots – and long shot players – as the average win price exceeded $35.00

When Smalltownthrowdown took the field through a hotly contested 54.2 front half, it seemed likely that the closers would pick up the tiring leaders. But when Brady Brown tipped Final Breath off the rail down the backside, the pair found themselves pinned behind the weary Icanflylikeanangel, who had been parked every step.

Brown moved wider still, and when he showed Final Breath racetrack, the 10-year-old Victory Sam-First Breath gelding rolled home in 1:52.3, a tick off his career best. What’s The Word rallied from far back for second, beaten 3-3/4 lengths, with Classicality third.

Complete results from Monday’s card, along with entries for today card, were not received from the track.

Durant joins soccer ownership group Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.

Durant, a 10-time NBA All-Star, has a 5% ownership stake, with an option for 5% more in the near future, the Union announced Monday.

“I’ve always been a soccer fan and have wanted to get into it in a meaningful way. My team and I felt an instant connection with the Philadelphia Union ownership and staff and their vision for a partnership,” Durant said in a statement. “While you won’t get to see me at games for now, my team and I will be taking an active role in the community where I can help give back to Chester (Pennsylvania) and Philadelphia.”

Iowa AD backs Ferentz

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta gave a vote of confidence to longtime football coach Kirk Ferentz on Monday after deciding to cut ties with a strength coach accused of mistreating African American players.

Ferentz has dealt seriously in addressing former and current players’ concerns about the program’s culture, Barta said. He also pointed to Ferentz’s on-field success, player development and the team’s record of community service.

“I do remain confident Kirk Ferentz can lead this team moving forward and many of the attributes we’re all familiar with over the last 20 years … are still there and still a part of the foundation and who Kirk is,” Barta said at a news conference.