The First Time Since 1944…

March 25, 2020

By: Jeff Yoder

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Bernhard Langer

“A wrong decision is generally less disastrous than indecision.”

The IOC finally did it. Time will tell if postponing the Olympics was the wrong decision. Spoiler Alert: It isn’t…

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Breaking News: Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother is in a medically-induced coma due to COVID-19. He’s urging everyone to take this pandemic seriously. Read More (CNN)

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OLYMPICS

Official: 2020 Olympics Postponed

IOC & Japan Agree to Postpone 2020 Olympics Until Summer 2021

Just hours after sending yesterday’s edition about the IOC’s mixed messages, the time had come. The fallout of indecision had grown into a PR nightmare.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have officially been postponed due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. The postponement will push the Olympics back to the summer of 2021.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.” — IOC Statement

Read: IOC Official Statement

The First Time Since 1944
It’s the first time the Olympics have been cancelled or postponed since 1944 (World War II). It’s also the first time in Olympic history the Games have been rescheduled for any reason other than war. We’ll have more on the fallout of postponing the Olympics in the weeks and months ahead.

Additional Storylines
SI: The Legal Complications of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Postponement
Yahoo! Sports: Athletes React to Postponing 2020 Olympics

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NCAAB

Dayton Sweeps the Awards

Flyers’ Obi Toppin & Anthony Grant Win Both AP Honors

It’s not an NCAA Championship or a Final Four run, but the Dayton Flyers made history on Tuesday by sweeping the Associated Press awards. Obi Toppin won Player of the Year while head coach Anthony Grant won Coach of the Year. They’re the second player-coach duo to sweep the awards in the last 40 seasons, joining Jameer Nelson and Phil Marteli (St. Joseph’s, 2004).

The Year of the Flyers
Dayton made school history across the board in 2019-20, setting program records with an undefeated conference season, a 29-2 overall record, and a final No. 3 ranking in the AP Poll. They hadn’t been to the Final Four since the 1960s, and they were largely regarded as the underdog program that lost the most from the 2020 NCAA Tournament’s cancellation. Now, they at least have the awards to prove it.

AP POY Voting
Obi Toppin (Dayton) — 34 votes
2nd Luka Garza (Iowa) — 24 votes

Others: Udoka Azuibuike (Kansas), Payton Pritchard (Oregon), Markus Howard (Marquette)

Read More (B/R)

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NFL

From No. 1 Picks to Free Agents

Cam Newton & Jameis Winston Join a Loaded QB Market

The Carolina Panthers released QB Cam Newton on Tuesday. And while it came as no surprise that Newton was leaving Charlotte, getting cut was certainly a shock after no viable trade partners were found. Now, the No. 1 picks from the 2011 and 2015 NFL Draft are free agents in 2020. Questions remain unanswered as they search for opportunity in an overloaded quarterback market.

Cut, Not Traded
That’s the baffling part. The quarterback market is so overwhelming right now, both in depth and draft prospects, that both the Bucs and Panthers couldn’t find realistic trade options after bringing in Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater. And now that both Jameis Winston and Cam Newton have been released, it’s hard to know if they’ll be Week 1 starters next season.

Accomplishments
Newton won Rookie of the Year in 2011, MVP in 2015, and set dual-threat QB records for passing-rushing yards in his first four seasons (since broken by Lamar Jackson). Winston, on the other hand, has been a turnover-producing nightmare, but he led the NFL in passing yards last season.

Rumored suitors for both include the Broncos, Chargers, and Patriots.

Additional Storylines
FOX Sports: Panthers Release Cam Newton
FTW: The NFL’s Unsettled QB Situation

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Other NFL Roster News

Tuesday Signings
RB Peyton Barber → Washington Redskins
WR Devin Funchess → Green Bay Packers
WR Robby Anderson → Carolina Panthers
WR Philip Dorsett → Seattle Seahawks
WR Breshad Perriman → New York Jets

Top 10 Remaining FAs
QB Cam Newton, QB Jameis Winston, DE Jadeveon Clowney, LB Markus Golden, OL Germain Ifedi, S Vonn Bell, OL Jason Peters, DT Ndamukong Suh, DE Everson Griffen, CB Logan Ryan

*Free agent signings subject to change by the delivery of today’s newsletter

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INTERESTING STORIES

⚫️ One Striking Moment
For most, college basketball is on hiatus. For Jamill Jones, it may be worse. March Madness will forever be a harsh reminder of the coaching career that should have been. Of the time he punched a drunk stranger in Queens. Of the night he killed a man. (Sports Illustrated)

⚫️ The Best MLB Games We Ever Saw
This was supposed to be Opening Week, the time when MLB fans everywhere look forward to making a season’s worth of memories… We thought it’d be fun to take a walk down memory lane by reliving some of our personal favorite baseball moments. (ESPN)

⚫️ A New New England
 “Going into free agency, I was thinking that at this stage in my career, I was ready for a change. I mean, I love New England. But after 10 years and winning three Super Bowls, something inside was telling me that I was ready for a new challenge…” (Devin McCourty, The Players’ Tribune)

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 📰 THE HEADLINES 

Two Former College Basketball Players Die From Coronavirus Complications
(MSN)

Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Expects NBA Games to Return Before June
(CBS Sports)

Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Buys the Inglewood Forum for $400 Million
(Bleacher Report)

NHL to Temporarily Cut Salaries of League Office Executives
(Sports Illustrated)

Mets’ Pitcher Noah Syndergaard to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
(ESPN)

Deontay Wilder—Tyson Fury Part III Delayed Due to Coronavirus
(Yahoo! Sports)

College Athletic Directors Preparing for Delayed Start to 2020 Football Season
(USA Today)

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