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Sports Future Uncertain

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in SPORTS NEWS.

It all started innocently enough on Thursday, March 11 with an announcement that the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments would continue with a limited number of spectators in attendance.

Sure, fans thought it would be a little odd to watch March Madness without the stands full of people cheering for their favorite underdog, but at least the sports world would go on. That was supposed to be the silver lining.

And then, one by one, the dominoes began to fall.

By that same night, it was discovered that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the coronavirus, which prompted the NBA’s decision to suspend the rest of the 2019-20 regular season, as well as the playoffs. It came as a shocking move at first, but as the days went on, the list of leagues following suit began to grow exponentially.

On March 12, the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments were canceled altogether, followed by the remainder of all remaining college winter and spring sports, including spring practices for the University of Texas football team. It was also announced that Major League Baseball had pushed back opening day at least two weeks, from March 26 to April 9.

The cancellations and postponements continued to sweep through the Lone Star State on March 13 as both the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) suspended their current high school sports seasons for a minimum of two weeks. In the case of TAPPS, the return of athletic activity was pushed past Easter Sunday (April 12).

The UIL state boys basketball tournament was put on hold literally while it was being played, as the announcement regarding the suspension of games came at halftime of the Class 3A semifinal between Dallas Madison and Coldspring-Oakhurst at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The UIL has since announced that it plans to complete the state tournament “at some point in the future.”

Even the XFL shuttered its doors by cutting the 2020 season short, much to the dismay of football enthusiasts craving their fix until August rolled around.

By March 14, it was apparent that the spreading COVID-19 pandemic wouldn’t be just a passing trend. With the exception of the UFC, every major athletic organization in the country had altered its plans due to the virus.

Perhaps the only fans relieved by the postponements were in Houston, as the coronavirus stole all the headlines away from the Astros’ recent sign stealing scandal and subsequent fallout.

The only question remaining is simple — now what?

As of right now, there doesn’t seem to be an answer other than wait and hope. Some have used their spare time to gather around the house with family and watch movies or play video games. Some rediscovered their rec rooms and have already played countless games of billiards or air hockey.

Others tried to see how much toilet paper they could cram into their carts during a single trip to the grocery store.

On a serious note, it’s no secret that sports are an integral part of the nation and can provide a much-needed distraction when times get tough. Here’s hoping they return as soon as possible, and that the precautionary measures taken by all of the leagues worldwide will pay off and help limit the impact of COVID-19.

In the meantime, we’ll be patiently waiting until the next tipoff, pitch or starter’s pistol. Until then, stay safe everyone.

NFL playoff ‘do-over’ lawsuit moved to federal court

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Six days before the Super Bowl, the court battle has begun in a longshot lawsuit seeking a possible do-over of the NFC game that ended with a Los Angeles Rams victory over the New Orleans Saints, a game affected by what the NFL concedes was a blown “no-call” by officials.
A Monday hearing in federal court did not result in an immediate ruling. It dealt largely with a jurisdictional question.
The two Saints season ticket holders who filed the lawsuit want it heard in state court in New Orleans. The NFL filed to have it heard in federal court, where U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan heard initial arguments at midday. She was expected to meet with attorneys on both sides again in the evening and it was unclear when the jurisdictional issue, or the case itself, would be resolved.


Officials failed to call interference or roughness penalties when a Rams player leveled a Saints receiver with a helmet-to-helmet hit at a crucial point in the in the final minutes of regulation time. The Rams won the Jan. 20 game in overtime and are set to play the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl.


The lawsuit by two Saints season ticket holders, Tommy Badeaux and Candis Lambert, says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should implement a league rule — Rule 17 — governing “extraordinarily unfair acts.” Remedies include reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game — in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred.


NFL lawyers say the lawsuit belongs in federal court for reasons including the possible scope. They argued that the suit takes the form of a class action that could mean millions of dollars in damages for Saints ticket holders and others in what the suit calls “the Who Dat Nation,” a reference to Saints fans and a popular team cheer.


Attorney Frank D’Amico, who filed the lawsuit two days after the championship game, said that, while the lawsuit recounts damages suffered by Saints fans, it doesn’t specifically ask for monetary compensation. Instead, D’Amico said, it seeks a court order, under state law, forcing Goodell to investigate the blown call under the never before invoked Rule 17.


D’Amico also insisted that he wasn’t specifically asking for a court-ordered do-over or reversal of the game, although that could be the result if the rule is invoked. “We’re not trying to keep the Super Bowl from going forward,” he said.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the second half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016. The Texans beat the Saints 16-9.


That appeared to surprise Gladstone Jones, a New Orleans attorney arguing for the NFL, who said it would be “big news” that D’Amico’s clients aren’t trying to stop or delay the big game.
As to D’Amico’s call for an investigation, Jones said there is no need. League officials, he said, have clearly reviewed the calls. “They have done their due diligence.”


His arguments tracked positions taken in weekend briefs filed by NFL lawyers. “The NFL parties do not dispute that they have previously advised the Saints, including the club’s head coach, that one or more penalties — for pass interference or illegal helmet-to-helmet contact — were mistakenly not called late in the NFC Championship Game, and that the NFL would like its officials on the field to make these calls,” an NFL filing says.


But it also says Goodell, a defendant in the lawsuit along with the league itself, does not have the authority to overrule a referee on the field. Even if the rule did apply, the NFL attorneys argue, a decision on a remedy is up to the commissioner, not a ticket-holder.


Morgan had to step away from a jury trial in an unrelated case to preside over Monday’s hearing. Records show she got the case after it was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe — who removed himself from the case because he has Saints season tickets.