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NFL

Ravens-Steelers moved to Sunday after positives

12:56 PM ET

  • Jamison Hensley

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    ESPN Staff Writer
    • University of Maryland graduate
    • Lives in the Baltimore area with his wife and son
  • Brooke Pryor

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    ESPN Staff Writer
    • Previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.

The Thanksgiving night game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers has been moved to Sunday, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast nationally by NBC.

The decision came after the COVID-19 outbreak among the Ravens worsened, and it prompted an angry response from Steelers players.

Baltimore added three more players — offensive linemen Patrick Mekari and Matt Skura and defensive end Calais Campbell — to the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday. The Ravens now have seven players who tested positive or have been identified as close contacts, a group that has totaled 2,127 snaps this season.

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The NFL decided to postpone the game because it wants to use the rest of the week to conduct more testing and contact tracing, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. The announcement came about 31 hours before the scheduled kickoff.

“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts,” the NFL said in a statement.

The outbreak has been widespread in Baltimore, where members of the Ravens’ coaching staff and support staff have also tested positive.

“We appreciate the NFL for its diligence in working closely with us to ensure the well-being of players, coaches and staff from both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations,” the Ravens said in a statement.

This is the second time the Steelers’ schedule has been affected by COVID-19. Their Week 4 game against the

First the NFL takes away our bye week because another team can’t get their Covid situation together, now they take away our Thanksgiving primetime game for the same reason. Smh.

— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) November 25, 2020

Sources told ESPN that the Steelers will have a players day off Thursday after practicing Wednesday. Coach Mike Tomlin had planned to give his players off until next Wednesday after the Thanksgiving game, but those plans have changed.

“We feel like we have a really good handle on exactly when the transmission occurred and how it occurred,” Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, told NFL Network on Wednesday. “I think that we feel like we’re a couple of days away from being out of that window of vulnerability for that transmission event.”

This marks the 13th game that has been postponed or moved this season because of coronavirus-related issues but is the first postponement since Week 5. Three weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers played against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night even though they had placed four players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Earlier Wednesday, some Ravens players expressed concern about playing.

“Player safety … what a joke,” Ravens defensive end Derek Wolfe tweeted.

This is the first time since 2005 that the NFL will have only two games played on Thanksgiving.

The Ravens’ outbreak began hours after Sunday’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Titans, when the team learned running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram had tested positive. Nose tackle Brandon Williams was later identified as a high-risk close contact.

On Monday, Baltimore closed its facility in the morning before reopening in the afternoon, when the team held a walk-through. A day later, the Ravens shut down the facility again after more positive tests and conducted all team activities virtually. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee became the fourth Baltimore player added to the reserve/COVID-19 list in two days.

The postponement of Baltimore’s Thanksgiving game to Sunday means a quick turnaround. The Ravens are set to host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Dec. 3. The Cowboys will have a full week to recover after playing on Thanksgiving, but Baltimore will play on three days’ rest.

The Ravens could enter that game short-handed. Any players who test positive must quarantine for at least 10 days.

The Steelers, who are 10-0 for the first time in franchise history, can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Baltimore and losses by the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders. The Ravens (6-4) are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback.

Soccer

Argentina legend Maradona dies at 60 after suffering heart attack

Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona died Wednesday, the Argentine Football Association confirmed. He was 60 years old.

Maradona died after suffering a heart attack at his home near Buenos Aires, the former player’s lawyer told Reuters.

He was hospitalized earlier this month, and Maradona underwent emergency brain surgery to repair a subdural hematoma following the detection of a blood clot on the surface of his brain. He remained in Buenos Aires under the watch of his psychologist Diego Diaz and was treated for alcohol dependency.

One of the greatest players of all time, Maradona guided Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup, and he starred at the club level for Barcelona, Napoli, and Boca Juniors, among others.

Captain of the Albiceleste side that captured the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Maradona is largely remembered for the “Hand of God” goal against England in the quarterfinals. The diminutive second striker was involved in 10 goals (five goals and five assists) while leading Argentina to its second World Cup conquest, a mark that hasn’t been matched since.

Maradona would go on to score 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina while appearing in four World Cups. The Buenos Aires-born footballing deity also led Argentina to the 1990 final before bowing out to West Germany, and he took part in the 1994 installment in the United States before being sent home after testing positive for ephedrine.

During a decorated club career that lasted over two decades, Maradona lifted three domestic trophies with Barcelona before guiding Napoli to the Scudetto in 1986-87 and 1989-90. He also won the UEFA Cup with Napoli in 1988-89, marking the Italian side’s most successful period in its history.

“We are in mourning,” Napoli spokesman Nicola Lombardo said, according to ESPN. “We feel like a boxer who has been knocked out. We are in shock.”

“Everyone is waiting for words from us. But what words could be possible for pain as strong as that we are currently experiencing? Now is the time for tears. Later, it will be words,” the club added.

Maradona returned to Boca Juniors for a second stint, and retired with his hometown side in 1997 on his 37th birthday.

After ending his vaunted playing career, the hallowed star battled a variety of health issues. He was admitted to hospital multiple times, including in 2004 when he dealt with heart and respiratory problems related to a longstanding – and well documented – battle with drug addiction. He also underwent multiple gastric bypass operations to manage his weight, while treatment for alcohol abuse was also required.

Argentina appointed Maradona as its national team manager in 2008, and he stepped down after losing to Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.

Maradona then held coaching positions in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico, and he was managing Argentinian top-flight side Gimnasia y Esgrima at the time of his death.

“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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