Cleveland State cancels games vs. Duke, Kent State due to COVID-19

COVID-19 is spreading throughout sports teams located in and around Cleveland and impacting far more than just professional entities. 

On Wednesday, the Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball program announced it was temporarily pausing all team activities following the discovery of coronavirus cases. As a result, upcoming games at the No. 2-ranked Duke Blue Devils scheduled for this Saturday and at the Kent State Golden Flashes set for next Tuesday (Dec. 21) have been canceled. 

"Throughout the pandemic, we have prioritized the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff while training and competing. Coach [Dennis] Gates and the team have been extremely diligent in adhering to our protocols as well as deploying other proactive risk mitigation strategies," CSU athletic director Scott Garrett said for the prepared statement. "After consultation with our training staff and the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Center, we are pausing team activity and will reassess in 10 days. While we are disappointed, it is clear that this is the responsible course of action."

The Vikings, the reigning Horizon League champions, last played when they fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in overtime on Monday. They are now on track to resume play at the IUPUI Jaguars on Dec. 30. 

Last week, the Cleveland State women's basketball program had one game scrapped because of "COVID-19 implications." Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns are dealing with a virus outbreak that includes 17 players and two coaches landing on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list. Nevertheless, the Browns remain scheduled to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.