The Toronto Raptors are feeling the impact of COVID-19, and the season hasn’t even started yet.
Three members of the organization have tested positive for the coronavirus a week after the Raptors convened in Tampa, Fla., for training camp, and five days before they’re scheduled to tip off the pre-season.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster wouldn’t disclose who received the positive results, whether or not they were players, or if they were suffering symptoms of the coronavirus.
But when asked if part if him wonders if it’s all worth it, whether playing this season amid a global pandemic is a good idea, Webster said he believes it is.
“Our season is here months after other professional sports have started … we’ve always said sports are an outlet, sports are a distraction, and I like to believe we’re providing entertainment, we’re providing things for the greater good of the public,” Webster said on a Zoom video call.
“We feel comfortable there’s not further [spread], but it’s not to say a week from now or two weeks from now or in the middle of the season when we’re on the road in Brooklyn that we’re not going to have this again. And so we’ll continue to confront those challenges. But I do think from a professional manner, basketball is our livelihood, it’s the livelihood of these players, coaches, and a number of staff, so we think following the protocols we can get through this.”
The Raptors’ positive results came during the NBA-mandated testing period prior to training camp. The league announced last week that 48 players — about nine per cent — had tested positive in pre-camp testing.
On Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers shut down their practice facility due to three positive cases within their organization.
A day earlier, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse had talked about how potentially devastating COVID-19 could be to the team and the season.
Infected trio self-isolating
“My role is to just constantly be on [players] and be a reminder constantly of our actions and our behaviour, and how impactful it is not only themselves, their families, our team, the organization, there’s lots on the line if you’re not doing the best you can with the COVID-19 protocols,” Nurse said.
Nurse had told reporters Sunday that all 20 players in camp had participated in the team’s first group practice.
Asked whether or not Nurse did indeed have a full complement of healthy players at practice, Webster wouldn’t say, citing privacy issues.
The Raptors said the three individuals are self-isolating away from the rest of the team. Webster said the Raptors were permitted to practice Monday because there’s been no evidence of further spread.
WATCH | Nick Nurse describes ‘excitement’ at 1st day of practice:
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse talks to the media after the team’s 1st official practice in Tampa. 1:17
The NBA was among the major global sports leagues to shutter on March 11, after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive. Other global leagues and events follow suit like a row of dominoes.
The NBA successfully finished the season over the summer, but it was within a protective “bubble” at Walt Disney World, perhaps the safest spot in the U.S. amid the raging pandemic.
The Raptors had hoped to play this season at home at Scotiabank Arena, but didn’t get clearance due to Canada’s travel restrictions and rising cases here.
The Raptors chose Tampa and Amalie Arena, despite Florida being a COVID-19 hotspot. The Sunshine State had 8,436 new cases Monday, and last week surpassed the one-million total case mark.
Positive cases in the NBA come as little surprise. The NFL has had dozens of cases, along with NCAA football and basketball.
“It’s an enormous challenge, right? It’s a logistical challenge, it’s a health challenge, it’s a human challenge that we’re all going through,” Webster said.
Eating meals in hotel rooms
“It’s constantly on our mind, at the same time we’re trying to prepare for an NBA season, as I’m sure most of us are seeing around the sports landscape, this was bound to happen.”
WATCH | Fred VanVleet’s presser interrupted by Siakam, Powell:
During Fred VanVleet’s press conference with the media, he’s interrupted by his teammates Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell. 0:30
The NBA has produced a 150-page document outlining the numerous health and safety protocols to follow if teams are to get through this bizarre season.
“They’re extensive … but there’s the real world, so you have questions, is this allowed? Is this not allowed? How do I dine outdoors safely? So it’s tough. It’s the endless amount of questions we all have and sometimes they seem a bit counterintuitive, or sometimes they seem maybe contradictory,” Webster said. “So, it’s erring on the super-conservative side limiting your exposure.”
Webster said the players, who are temporarily living in a Tampa hotel, have been careful about potential exposure, mostly eating meals in their rooms and distancing while travelling. The only place they’re not physically distanced is during practice.
Fred VanVleet doesn’t believe any of the Raptors would be reckless about health protocols, but said it’s on the players to hold each other accountable.
The players accepted the strict protocols and daily testing, he said, as part of the new normal.
“The NBA is definitely trying to cover all its bases and make sure it’s a safe environment for us. I don’t have great expectations about that, I think it’s going to be tough to do but this is what it is and we’ve got to try to the best we can,” VanVleet said.
Health experts have questioned the return of sports, particularly since the longterm impacts of COVID-19 are still relatively unknown.
“If we just put this off by the months that we need to be able to get things back in our communities to where we need, get transmission back under control, to me, that is more worthwhile,” Jason Kindrachuk, a virologist with the University of Manitoba, told The Canadian Press.
Others believe the return to some semblance of normal life, including sports, is important for mental and physical health.
“In North America, team professional sports is so much a part of the day-to-day lives of many that it has to exist in some way,” said Dr. Brian Conway, head of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre. “So I think if we were to turn around at this stage, given what’s been done, and shut it down, there would be a very big push back that would affect health.”
The Raptors are scheduled to play their first pre-season game Saturday at Charlotte and open the 2020-21 season Dec. 23 against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
