Jun 23, 2020 3 min read

Pittsburgh eliminated as NHL hub city

The Penguins were informed Monday night by the NHL that Pittsburgh will not be a hub city for the league’s return to play.

The Penguins had submitted an aggressive proposal, with support from UPMC, PPG and local business, political and union leaders. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced several weeks ago that Pittsburgh was one of 10 finalists. Two hub cities will be selected.

“We know Pittsburgh would have been a great host city because of our fans and the support we received from the local business community, unions and our political leaders,” said Penguins president David Morehouse.

WVU puts DC Koenning on leave

West Virginia has placed defensive coordinator Vic Koenning on administrative leave after a player alleged in a social media post that the assistant coach made a series of insensitive remarks, including against Hispanics.

West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons announced the move Tuesday after safety Kerry Martin posted the allegations on his Twitter account about Koenning.

“I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light,” Lyons said in a statement. “We will not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination or bias on our campus, including our athletic programs.”

Koenning, who was brought to West Virginia from Troy when coach Neal Brown was hired last year, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Martin said he had met with Brown about Koenning’s comments.

Martin said the latest incident happened Monday, when Koenning shared a conversation he had with his son about protests over racial injustice.

Martin, who is Black, said Koenning’s “exact words were, ‘if people did not want to get tear gassed, or push back by the police then they shouldn’t be outside protesting.'”

During a June 2019 workout in Morgantown, Martin said Koenning “called me retarded for doing the wrong technique.” Martin said he has family members who are mentally ill, “and for him to say that hurt me because it was an action we could fix …”

Koenning also would discuss his views on politics during position meetings during the 2019 season, according to Martin.

In one particular meeting, Koenning talked about President Donald Trump “and how he should ‘build the wall and keep Hispanics out (of) the country,'” said Martin, who said someone of Hispanic descent was in the meeting.

Two more Phillies players test positive

The Philadelphia Phillies say two more players and two additional staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, spiking the number of total members in the organization who have the virus to 12.

The Phillies said Tuesday all other tests within the organization have come back negative. One of the two players tested positive outside the team’s spring complex in Clearwater, Florida.

The Phillies did not identify anyone affected by COVID-19.

The Phillies shut their spring complex after five players tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Philadelphia became the first big league team known to be struck by the outbreak.