Las Vegas’ COVID-19 Woes Tuesday: UNLV Basketball Coach Otzelberger Tests Positive, Raiders’ Receiver Ruggs Placed On COVID List
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has been absolutely brutal to Las Vegas’ vaunted sports and entertainment industry, forcing Clark County to dip into stadium reserves big-time to make a bond payment because of low hotel tax revenues, the National Finals Rodeo and PBR events to flee to Texas and causing schedule havoc with UNLV’s football and basketball schedules.
UNLV basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger told the public he is infected with the novel coronavirus Tuesday a day after someone in the Runnin’ Rebels program tested positive Monday, prompting Monday evening’s UNLV vs Pepperdine basketball game to be wiped out. Here’s the Otzelberger statement:
This means the two-game series between the Runnin’ Rebels and Wyoming on Dec. 20-22 has been postponed. The rescheduled dates will be announced once they are finalized by the Mountain West Conference and both universities.
UNLV’s football team has lost games against Colorado State and Boise State because of COVID-19 problems, while a UNLV vs Eastern Washington basketball game was also scrubbed.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders said received Henry Ruggs III was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday and will miss Thursday’s Raiders vs Los Angeles Chargers prime-time Thursday Night Football game at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders were 6-4, but have lost three of the last four games and needed a miracle to beat the New York Jets in Jersey.
But some places have even more strict COVID-19 sports restrictions, which have prompted the University of New Mexico’s football team to play three “home” games at Sam Boyd Stadium and San Jose State to play a game there, too. And Stanford’s women’s basketball team, because of coronavirus restrictions in the university’s home county in Northern California, is playing games at the UNLV court, too.
