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SPORTS Tuesday 17 March 2020
Networks get through first weekend with taped programming

By JOE REEDY naments on Saturday and
AP Sports Writer Sunday. During the hour
Scott Van Pelt was sup- that CBS was supposed
posed to be breaking to be showing the tourna-
down the NCAA Tourna- ment selections, viewers
ment bracket on a busy in New York saw the news
Sunday night on ESPN's while Los Angeles aired an
"SportsCenter." infomercial.
Instead, Van Pelt was fig- NBC and Golf Channel
uring out how to fill most showed the final two rounds
of the hour with the sports of last year's Players Cham-
world on hold because of pionship after the PGA Tour
the spread of the corona- canceled the final three
virus. rounds Friday. Fox left it up
"I have no idea. Right now to their affiliates to program
having a rundown is a bit the gap left by the cancel-
pointless," Van Pelt said. lation of Sunday's NASCAR
"It's like changing recipes race in Atlanta and NBCSN
on the fly. Are we mak- re-aired last year's IndyCar
ing cookies? No, making season opener.
something entirely differ- ESPN at least had some
ent. I don't know what else live programming on Satur-
can be cancelled on our day with a UFC card from
watch. It's been quite a Brazil. Sunday was mostly Greensboro Coliseum is mostly empty after the NCAA college basketball games were cancelled
week." films from the "30 for 30" at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2020. The
biggest conferences in college sports all canceled their basketball tournaments because of the
Van Pelt was supposed series while ESPN2 re-aired new coronavirus, seemingly putting the NCAA Tournament in doubt
to be doing halftime seg- some of the top college Associated Press
ments during last Wednes- basketball games from the
day's NBA games. What season. On Saturday they approving the NFL's collec- you would have gotten for planning on doing is show-
ended up happening was showed the entire "Basket- tive bargaining agreement Christmas and Christmas is casing those who have had
Van Pelt updating viewers ballL A Love Story" series. as well as any signings that cancelled." their seasons cut short. He
about the NBA season as ABC also showed "30 for took place. He was also Van Pelt is trying not to look sent out a tweet on Friday
well as providing interviews 30" films as well as a couple planning to interview Penn ahead because the situa- asking people to nominate
and analysis once the New episodes from the "College State senior forward La- tion can change on a dime high school and college se-
Orleans Pelicans' game at Football 150" series. FS1 and mar Stevens on seeing his and because it can be an niors to spotlight.
the Sacramento Kings was FS2 had a mix of college season end abruptly when unsettling feeling. He has "In the absence of live con-
postponed. basketball and XFL re-airs. the Nittany Lions appeared received texts and calls tent, we can do storytelling
Van Pelt and ESPN weren't Whether that remains the to be headed to March from friends, family and and acknowledge those
the only ones having to template for future week- Madness. At first, Van Pelt athletes wondering the who we know are out there
scramble to fill program- ends remains to be seen. wondered why the NCAA same thing as he is — what that had their season end.
ming. CBS aired champion- Van Pelt said the early plan wouldn't release a bracket type of show are they go- There are quite a few peo-
ship games from past Big for Sunday's "SportsCenter" but then saw the reason, ing to do? ple that we can shine a
Ten and Atlantic 10 tour- included analyzing players saying "it would be like what One thing that Van Pelt is light on," he said. q

Anti-doping body ready to look into allegations about Fury

LONDON (AP) — Britain's Sunday, saying he was of- UKAD urged anyone with
anti-doping body is ex- fered 25,000 pounds (near- information that could be
pected to look into allega- ly $31,000) to make up the of interest to contact its or-
tions in a newspaper report story in order to aid their ganization and said it will
in which a farmer said he case. only comment on an inves-
was offered money to pro- Boxing promoter Frank War- tigation when it's conclud-
vide an alibi in support of ren, who currently works ed, and only then if there
Tyson Fury for a case involv- with Tyson Fury, has de- was a successful prosecu-
ing the world heavyweight scribed the farmer's claims tion.
champion. as "outrageous" and "a Neither Fury has publicly
Fury and his cousin Hughie load of rubbish." commented on the news-
were handed retrospective "We'll leave this with UKAD paper story. Tyson Fury's
two-year bans by UK Anti- to look into and don't ex- representatives, MTK Glob-
Doping in 2017 after initially pect it to go any further," al, did not immediately
testing positive in 2015 for Warren said. respond to a request for Tyson Fury, left, of England, hits Deontay Wilder during a WBC
heavyweight championship boxing match Saturday, Feb. 22,
nandrolone, which they Asked for comment on the comment. 2020, in Las Vegas.
blamed on eating uncas- new claims about the Fu- Tyson Fury beat Deontay Associated Press
trated wild boar meat. rys' anti-doping case, UKAD Wilder in Las Vegas last
In the case, farmer Martin said: "We will always review month to become WBC ban — he became a WBA, on him (Fury) being our
Carefoot said he provided any potential evidence in champion. In November IBF and WBO champion by heavyweight world cham-
the Furys with wild boar. relation to any anti-doping 2015 — after he tested posi- beating Wladimir Klitschko. pion" because Fury was
But he has backtracked offense, and take investi- tive for nandrolone, but be- WBC champion Mauricio "not involved with the WBC"
in an interview with Brit- gatory action where nec- fore he was charged and Sulaiman told The Sun that at the time of his case with
ish newspaper The Mail on essary." subsequently handed a the issue "does not impact UKAD.q