During Wednesday’s 美国橄榄球联盟’s broadcast of the 匹兹堡钢人队–巴尔的摩乌鸦 游戏, NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth, a former wide receiver for the 辛辛那提孟加拉虎, decided to play the role of a doctor with the coronavirus outbreak slamming the Ravens organization.
Play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico asked Collinsworth if it was the right call to squeeze the game in on Wednesday afternoon, despite being postponed three times: first from Thanksgiving to Sunday, then from Sunday to Tuesday, and eventually from Tuesday to Wednesday.
STEELERS OVERCOME RUST, SHORT-HANDED RAVENS TO MOVE TO 11-0
“I’m the worst person to ask that question,” Collinsworth responded. “Because I always think they should go play. I always want to go outside and do the things… I understand the danger, but I have yet to have anybody tell me that playing football outside is spreading the disease.”
Collinsworth continued: “We were talking to [Baltimore Ravens head coach] John Harbaugh about this a little bit yesterday, and he really felt the soft-spot of the equation was inside the locker room. It’s not outside playing the games, or outside practicing, it’s when you have to come into the locker room, and it’s a fairly confined area. And that’s how the spread got started in Baltimore.”
The game went on as scheduled — albeit in the afternoon as opposed to primetime — and it was the Steelers remaining undefeated (11-0) 与 19-14 victory over their long-time AFC North rivals. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 266 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, to edge out the undermanned Ravens.
The Ravens (6-5) lost their third straight while playing without more than a dozen players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins.
Backup quarterback Robert Griffin III struggled in Jackson’s place, turning it over twice in the first quarter and completing 7 的 12 passes before being replaced by Trace McSorley midway through the fourth quarter after injuring his left hamstring.
美联社对此报告做出了贡献.
