Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 4-17-20

Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns' Mother Has Died From Coronavirus Complications
NBA Creating 25-Day Back To Basketball Plan
Karl-Anthony Towns'
mother has passed away after she tested positive for the Coronavirus last month.
The news was confirmed in a family statement shared by the Minnesota Timber- wolves on Twitter. "The Towns family is heartbro- ken by the untimely passing of Jacqueline Towns due to complications as a result of COVID-19," the statement reads. "Jackie, as she was affectionately known among family and friends, had been
JACQUELINE AND KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
battling the virus for more than a month when she suc-
cumbed on April 13th."
"The Towns family is ex- tremely grateful for the out- pouring of love and support they have received during this very difficult time," the statement continues. "They would like to thank the med- ical warriors at Penn Presby- terian Medical Center and JFK Medical Center, who fought for Jackie day in and day out, and helped Karl, Sr. recover from the same virus that took Jackie's
life."
Newton Interested In Signing With Patriots
CAM NEWTON
The Cam Newton rumor mill has been going strong since he was released by the Carolina Panthers. Here’s one that makes too much sense. The New England Patriots need a quarterback. And re- portedly, Newton is inter- ested in signing with the storied NFL franchise.
The Patriots are one of the few teams left that make much sense as a landing spot for Newton. If they are even re- motely interested in signing Newton, one huge challenge must be overcome: New Eng- land barely has any cap space (under $1 million, per Over The Cap).
Fans are very much on board with the idea, and of course the Patriots would be right back in the thick of it as a contender with the former MVP under center in 2020.
It’s going to be a while be- fore Newton is signed, though, and so the waiting game continues.
The NBA still doesn’t know when it will be able to return to action during the coron- avirus pandemic, but that isn’t stopping them from planning how they’ll do it.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the NBA is putting together a 25-day “back to basketball” plan. The plan involves 11 days of indi- vidual workouts, followed by 14-day training camps for each team.
The NBA has been clear that they will not return to ac- tion until they have clearance from health officials. This plan will be put into motion if they get it, but that’s not close to
ADAM SILVER
happening right now. In fact, commissioner Adam Silver has made clear that a decision on the NBA season probably won’t happen before May.
With almost a full month needed to get players back in shape, it won’t be an immedi- ate return to games even if that clearance is received.
Deion Sanders Clarifies Stance On Todd Gurley Wearing No. 21
Matt Barnes Eyeing Future Run For Mayor Of Sacramento
No, Deion Sanders does not actually have a problem with Todd Gurley wearing No. 21 with the Atlanta Fal- cons.
Gurley had said in an in- terview that Sanders warned against wearing the number, but Gurley opted to take it anyway. When one fan said on Twitter that it seemed the Falcons were trying to erase Sanders’ legacy, the man himself stepped in to clarify that he was joking and had no issue with Gurley taking the number.
DEION SANDERS
It’s easy to see how this turned into a controversy, and it’s good that Sanders is put- ting it to rest. Gurley likely sees it as a way to honor Sanders, and Sanders doesn’t have a problem with it after all.
After an NBA career where he gained a reputation as something of a bad boy, Matt Barnes now appears to have his sights set on a political ca- reer.
Speaking this week with Sean Cunningham of KXTV, the retired forward and Sacramento native spoke on his charitable works in the city before revealing that he is in- terested in running for mayor of Sacramento in the future.
“Sacramento will always be my heart,” said Barnes. “I eventually wanna come back
MATT BARNES
there one day and possibly run for mayor. Keeping things in perspective, I loved my time there. I appreciate the fans, I love it there and [I’m] looking to move back there one day and have that be my final rest- ing spot.”
Person Close To Dak Prescott
Says QB Did Not Host Party
During Quarantine
Dak Prescott has been accused of ignoring social dis- tancing guidelines by having more than two dozen friends over for a party at his home in Texas on Saturday night, but someone close to the Dallas Cowboys quarterback says the reports of that happening are inaccurate.
Prescott hosted a birth- day party for a friend at his home in Prosper, Texas, and there were roughly 30 guests there at one point. Ezekiel Elliott was among them. A video obtained by TMZ showed some footage of the spread that was catered at the party, though it was unclear how many people were pres-
DAK PRESCOTT
ent.
Texas currently has a stay-
at-home order in place to help limit the spread of the coron- avirus. The White House has also issued guidelines telling people not to gather in groups of 10 or more. If Prescott had 30 people at his house, it’s hard to imagine they were all adhering to social distancing guidelines.
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