The Latest: Vanderbilt football returns after COVID-19 pause
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
___
Vanderbilt's football team is back at practice five days after first canceling, then pausing workouts, because of positive COVID-19 tests.
The Commodores’ practice last Friday was the first of two to be canceled. Vanderbilt later paused practices due to what the university called a “small number” of positive tests within the program. The football players who tested positive were put in isolation.
Coach Derek Mason shared the news Wednesday in a tweet that Vanderbilt was going back to practice. He noted “class work to Grass work ... we’re back.”
___
The Cleveland Browns still don’t know if they’ll have fans at games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in case they do, the team sent a letter to season ticket holders outlining plans and protocols that will be in place at FirstEnergy Stadium.
There is still a chance the Browns will have a “limited amount of fans” when they open at home on Sept. 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team recently presented its “Responsible Restart Plan” to the city and Ohio state health departments and is awaiting approval.
All fans will be required to wear masks and there will be a four-quadrant system in the 65,000-seat stadium to keep fans safely separated. Also, the Browns will have pregame health screenings and fans will enter through a dedicated gate close to their seats before sitting in pods of 1 to 10 people.
Several NFL teams already have they will not have fans at their early-season games.
The Bengals announced Tuesday they won’t have fans for season opener at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13. They applied for an exemption to the state’s ban on large public gatherings, but it was turned down.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
