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Former Illinois star Dee Brown is the new coach at Roosevelt University in Chicago, the NAIA school announced Monday.The 37-year-old Brown was a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball of Illinois in 2002 at Proviso East in Maywood.AdvertisementHe went on to lead Illinois to Big Ten regular-season titles in 2004 and 2005 and a run to the 2005 NCAA championship game, in which the Illini lost to North Carolina.Brown played professionally for nine seasons, including two NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns.AdvertisementBrown has been an assistant at Illinois-Chicago since 2017. He also worked as director of player development and alumni relations for the Illinois men’s basketball team under former coach John Groce and coached AAU ball.
On Thursday, the sports world celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or educational program that receives funding from the government.Fans, athletes, politicians and celebrities took part in celebrating the last 50 years of empowered female athletes. Title IX gave girls and women an opportunity to participate in sports that had long been available to men, though it did not necessarily level the playing field. The day was filled with remembrances of influential women in sports and promises for the future.AdvertisementThen on Friday, the Supreme Court stifled that joy when it overturned Roe v. Wade. The timing was likely coincidental but impactful nonetheless. The right for women to make decisions for their own bodies, as they see fit, was taken away.Abortion is a matter of both personal choice and healthcare, and for athletes, regardless of gender, Roe being struck down will have an impact on where they choose to play and live and the type of healthcare they are able to receive.AdvertisementIn Illinois, where a law remains in place to keep abortion legal, Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised the state would remain a “safe haven” for women’s reproductive rights.Two-time WNBA MVP and Chicago-area native Candace Parker expressed her dismay, telling WGN-TV: “I have a 13-year-old daughter. For me personally, for us in this generation to mess this up for her and the decisions that she can make and the ownership of her own body — I feel like we’re doing a disservice to an entire generation.“I get emotional because I feel like as women in this country every time we take two or three steps forward — is it by chance that it was close to Title IX and the 50th anniversary? I feel like we have a way in this country of handling things in that way. I’m just disappointed.”Her Chicago Sky teammate Courtney Vandersloot added: “To me, it’s just heartbreaking that we’re in 2022 and women are still fighting for their right for their own bodies. I don’t agree with it. For people that are standing up and being the voice — I think it’s really important. The fight’s not over. People need voices and I think the WNBA and the Chicago Sky is a great platform.”White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, in an appearance on WSCR-670 AM’s “Parkins & Spiegel Show,” voiced his displeasure with the decision.“Obviously, today is a terrible, terrible day for women’s rights,” Hendriks said. “I mean, what’s next? Are they going to take voting for women as well now? It’s just something that is absurd in the fact that they thought that this is their thing.“If this had anything to do with men, there’d be no chance that this would be overturned. And that’s something that’s disgraceful in this day and age.”Hendriks also served as the “voice” of Pride Night for the Sox on Thursday.Advertisement“The fact is the hate I get for being an ally is very limited compared to what some other people may be getting if they’re in the spotlight or in the limelight going through this ordeal of going out and being true to themselves,” he said.Other Chicago athletes took to social media to voice their displeasure with the ruling or express solidarity with those affected by it.“The strength of our women is unmatched. We must protect them at all costs,” Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman tweeted. “Unimaginable to see their rights taken away. Men should never be allowed to make laws about women’s bodies. Those of you who disagree need to realize you’re a direct part of the problem. Change is needed!”The strength of our women is unmatched. We must protect them all at costs. Unimaginable to see their rights taken away. Men should never be allowed to make laws about women’s bodies. Those of you who disagree need to realize you’re a direct part of the problem. Change is needed!— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 25, 2022
Stroman also retweeted Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price and former NBA coach Stan van Gundy.Several athletes, including the Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay and the Bears’ Jaquan Brisker and Thomas Graham Jr., opted to retweet posts.The Chicago Sky shared a statement that read: “The Chicago Sky stand for all women and their rights to have autonomy over their own bodies and decide their own futures. We will be a voice for all those impacted by today’s Supreme Court decision and continue to fight for women’s freedom, health equity, and social justice.”AdvertisementThe commissioners of the NBA and WNBA released a joint statement: “The NBA and WNBA believe that women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their health and future, and we believe that freedom should be protected. We will continue to advocate for gender and health equity, including ensuring our employees have access to reproductive health care, regardless of their location.”NBA AND WNBA STATEMENT REGARDING ROE V. WADE DECISION NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued the following statement regarding today’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: pic.twitter.com/P13MSouB5A— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2022
The WNBA firmly believes people have the right to make their own personal decisions regarding their health. We stand in solidarity with those who fear for the repercussions of the Supreme Court decision today and remain committed to our 2022 WNBA season focus on civic engagement. pic.twitter.com/RtuBdjbozP— WNBA (@WNBA) June 24, 2022
It hasn’t exactly been the best of times for Tony La Russa and David Ross, the two baseball managers in a baseball town.Neither is a particularly good loser, yet losing has defined both of their 2022 seasons in the first three months.AdvertisementLa Russa’s Chicago White Sox were expected to be World Series contenders. It’s a team custom-built for a veteran manager to get it over the hump, which is why La Russa came out of retirement in 2020 to take the reins.But the Sox began their West Coast trip Monday in Anaheim with a losing record amid plenty of discord over whether La Russa carries most of the blame.AdvertisementOn the flip side, not much was expected from Ross’ Cubs after a 91-loss season and only two significant free-agent signings in Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki.But the Cubs, being the Cubs, still have managed to play below those low expectations. They’ll take the fifth-worst record in the majors (28-45) into Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series with the bottom-feeding Cincinnati Reds.The collective angst among Chicago baseball fans is at near-historic levels, perhaps not seen since the summer of 2002, when the Cubs lost 95 games under Don Baylor, Rene Lachemann and Bruce Kimm and the Sox finished .500 under Jerry Manuel.No one is happy, except perhaps the beer cup stackers not watching the games at Wrigley Field and the gambling sites accepting wagers from the dwindling number of Sox fans who still believe they’ll make a run.White Sox manager Tony La Russa stands in the dugout during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 20, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)La Russa, 77, and Ross, 45, are quite different in age and personality. But they do share a few similarities, including a testiness on occasion after difficult losses. Both have been tested in 2022.La Russa has been confrontational with reporters, and Ross once walked out on a reporter’s question, which he later apologized for. Neither has spewed volcanic ash despite the minor eruptions.Unfortunately, the days of managers of losing teams venting at the main culprits — the players they manage — are seemingly part of a bygone era. As long as the effort is there, La Russa and Ross are OK, and as far as they’re concerned, the effort has been there all season.“It doesn’t benefit any manager, coach, even player to rant publicly,” Ross said Sunday morning at Busch Stadium. “There are things that happen in house that you have to take care of and you have to have a little bit of teeth every once in a while.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] ‘Hot as a pistol’: 3 standout numbers that led to prospect Lenyn Sosa’s promotion to the White Sox ]“The key to that is understanding why you have those conversations, what those intentions are and the expectations for a manager, a coach, an organization that will never go away. When you keep those standards high and don’t waver, it’s really important.”Ross said he shows “emotions,” but flipping the food spread in the postgame clubhouse to show how you feel no longer is a viable way to send a message, unlike the days of Billy Martin and his peers.“When I got to A-ball, the spread was on a little bitty picnic table,” Ross recalled. “That thing’s easy to flip. Now it’s a buffet line. That would piss me off — I would probably be hungry in 30 minutes, right? “I played for some of those guys and you understand where they’re coming from. But I think now the conversations — and being able to hold in those emotions and be direct with the wording — is going to get you farther than (showing) emotion.”Cubs manager David Ross looks out from the dugout in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field on June 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Legend has it that Martin once flipped the clubhouse spread after a tough loss to the White Sox at old Comiskey Park, oblivious to a New York Yankees player sitting at the table munching on a sandwich.Those were the days when managers had much more control over players’ careers. That ended with the beginnings of free agency, the ubiquity of multiyear contracts going into eight and then nine figures and finally the intrusion of front offices into everyday decisions from lineups to bullpen usage.AdvertisementEven Lou Piniella conceded when he arrived in Chicago to manage the Cubs in 2007 that it was now a “player’s game.” Piniella was one of the last of the old-school managers, confident enough in his job security to call Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley a “piece of (expletive).” But his biggest confrontation in town wasn’t with a player but with Steve Stone after the Sox broadcaster criticized him in 2010 for not playing prospect Tyler Colvin.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Cubs aren’t the same as a decade ago — but they keep trotting out the same old narrative to fans ]“I think that means that Lou doesn’t have a great grasp on what to do with young players,” Stone told Comcast SportsNet, now NBC Chicago Sports.“What job has he had in baseball besides talking on television or radio?” Piniella fumed. “What has he done? Why isn’t he a farm director and bring some kids around? Why isn’t he a general manager? Why hasn’t he ever put the uniform on and (become) a pitching coach? Why hasn’t he been a field manager?“There are 30 teams out there that could use a guy’s expertise like that. I’m tired of some of these guys, I really am. That’s it. Let’s go to baseball.”Stone found himself in another free-for-all over the weekend when he trolled Sox fans for whining above and beyond the call of duty about La Russa and the struggling team. He seemed to endorse the idea of complaining fans jumping off the Sox bandwagon.We seem to have hit a nexus. I call it thinning out the herd. For those of you heading for the exits, adios. For those of you who want the coaches fired, the manager gone, the players traded and the owner replaced. That’s not practical. Welcome to a less bitter world all others— Steve Stone (@stevestone) June 25, 2022
“We seem to have hit a nexus,” Stone tweeted. “I call it thinning out the herd. For those of you heading for the exits, adios. For those of you who want the coaches fired, the manager gone, the players traded and the owner replaced. That’s not practical. Welcome to a less bitter world all others.”AdvertisementLa Russa, meanwhile, has been nothing but complimentary toward ticked-off Sox fans, repeating that they have the right to be upset about a team that has underachieved. He said he was OK with fans booing him rather than the players,“I’ve said it 100 times, man, I like that they’re here and they care,” La Russa said last week. “And if they’re displeased and it’s with me, I’d rather them be here and care than not care and not be here.”That was before the Sox lost three of four to the Baltimore Orioles, which simply added to the angst.So here were are again, potentially facing a long, hot summer without a winning baseball team on either side of town.The two embattled managers are trying to keep their heads, while all around them, everyone is losing theirs.
There’s only been one question in Chicago about this summer’s NBA free agency — will Zach LaVine be on the Bulls next season?That decision could be made by the end of this week as the NBA trade window opens at 5 p.m. Thursday night, at which point teams can begin negotiating deals with free agents.AdvertisementExecutive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas didn’t tip his hand on whether the Bulls will dish out a maximum deal to LaVine — which tops out close to $215 million with a five-year commitment — but he remained bullish on the team’s ability to return the All-Star to Chicago.[ [Don’t miss] Dalen Terry, the No. 18 pick, arrives ready to get to work for the Chicago Bulls: ‘I breathe, sleep, cry basketball’ ]“We’ve been very open that we hope that Zach is here for a long time,” Karnišovas said. “Nothing has changed. … I’m confident.”AdvertisementIf the Bulls are successful in keeping LaVine, their next concern quickly moves to his left knee. LaVine underwent a scope surgery in May to clean up a nagging injury that dampened his performance through the final third of the regular season.“I think he’s going to be healthy and he’s now progressing great,” Karnišovas said.General manager Marc Eversley echoed optimism about the health of both LaVine and starting point guard Lonzo Ball, who will also spend the offseason recovering from knee surgery following a season-ending injury and surgery in January.[ [Don’t miss] Zach LaVine enters free agency ‘open-eyed’ as the Chicago Bulls chase continuity: ‘My time here has been great’ ]The front office has plenty to do to improve on a winning record and short-lived playoffs run last season, but the most important is also the most elusive — keeping their stars healthy. Ball and LaVine are cornerstones for the Bulls, but both are also injury prone, a vulnerability highlighted by their absences last season.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.For the Bulls, another key for maintaining success comes down to the margins, especially with injury concerns still looming. New additions like No. 18 draft pick Dalen Terry will be one part of that plan, adding wing depth and defensive energy.Karnišovas said the Bulls have yet to make roster decisions on rotational players like Tony Bradley, Tyler Cook and Malcolm Hill, who stepped up for considerable minutes during the Bulls’ COVID-19 outbreak last winter. Although the Bulls are still open to new additions, Karnišovas continued to emphasize “continuity” as the focus for the roster.Artūras Karnišovas, executive vice president of basketball operations, speaks as the Bulls introduce first-round pick Dalen Terry on June 27, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)“You can build your rosters three ways — through the trades, free agency and the draft — and I think we’re tapping into all three of them,” he said. “This group has been here almost since October, so we’re still trying to get used to how to play with each other.”The development of Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu — the youngest players on the roster — also remains a focus. Although Williams and Dosunmu will not travel to Las Vegas to play in NBA summer league games, the pair will train in Chicago in July to prepare for training camp.AdvertisementIt was a split season for the two youngsters — Dosunmu started 40 games as a rookie, but Williams spent most of the year on the sidelines recovering from a wrist injury. Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls are “very, very confident” Dosunmu can contribute as a point guard for the 2022-23 season, although he will likely move back to the bench when Ball returns as the starting ballhandler.As the Bulls approach a new season, the improvement of these rotational players will determine the team’s competitiveness in a building Eastern Conference.“It’s important to get a good mix,” Karnišovas said. “For young guys, it’s important also to develop. Even with last year’s roster, there’s a lot of vets, there’s a lot of in-between and the young guys got a lot of experience when emphasis was put on winning. We got 46 wins which is great. We got playoff experience. But we need to build on that and it’s not going to be easy next year to come back and do the same.”
The Houston Texans had been told that their former quarterback Deshaun Watson
When Chicago Bulls draft pick Dalen Terry turned 10,
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday sided with a football coach from Washington state who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games.The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines for the coach. The justices said the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment.Advertisement“The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority.The case forced the justices to wrestle with how to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into participating in religious practices. The outcome could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in the public school setting.AdvertisementThe decision is also the latest in a line of Supreme Court rulings for religious plaintiffs. In another recent example, the court ruled that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.That the court ruled for the coach is perhaps not surprising. In 2019, the court declined to take up the case at an early stage, but four of the court’s conservatives agreed that a lower court decision in favor of the school district was “troubling” for its “understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers.”The case before the justices involved Joseph Kennedy, a Christian and former football coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington. Kennedy started coaching at the school in 2008 and initially prayed alone on the 50-yard line at the end of games. But students started joining him, and over time he began to deliver a short, inspirational talk with religious references. Kennedy did that for years and led students in locker room prayers. The school district learned what he was doing in 2015 and asked him to stop.Kennedy stopped leading students in prayer in the locker room and on the field but wanted to continue praying on the field himself, with students free to join if they wished. Concerned about being sued for violating students’ religious freedom rights, the school asked him to stop his practice of kneeling and praying while still “on duty” as a coach after the game. The school tried to work out a solution so Kennedy could pray privately before or after the game. When he continued to kneel and pray on the field, the school put him on paid leave.Three justices on the court attended public high schools themselves while the rest attended Catholic schools.The case is Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 21-418.
MOSCOW — More than four months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport for cannabis possession, a Russian court has set the start date of the U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for July 1.The Phoenix Mercury star was also ordered to remain in custody for the duration of her criminal trial. She could face 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned.AdvertisementOn Monday, the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki extended Griner’s detention for another six months after she appeared for a preliminary hearing held behind closed doors. Photos obtained by the AP showed her appearing in handcuffs. Griner had previously been ordered to remain in pretrial detention until July 2.[ [Don’t miss] As Brittney Griner’s detention nears 130 days, WNBA fans and activists want action: ‘When it comes to Black women … there isn’t a lot of support’ ]Griner’s detention and trial come at an extraordinarily low point in Moscow-Washington relations. She was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already-high tensions with sweeping sanctions by the United States and Russia’s denunciation of U.S. weapon supplies to Ukraine.AdvertisementAmid the tensions, Griner’s supporters had taken a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution, until May, when the State Department reclassified her as wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the U.S. government’s chief negotiator.That move has drawn additional attention to Griner’s case, with supporters encouraging a prisoner swap like the one in April that brought home Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.Russian news media have repeatedly raised speculation that she could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the discrepancy between Griner’s case — she allegedly was found in possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil — and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to the U.S.Others have suggested that she could be traded in tandem with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that the United States has repeatedly described as a set-up.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asked Sunday on CNN whether a joint swap of Griner and Whelan for Bout was being considered, sidestepped the question.“As a general proposition … I have got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home,” he said. But “I can’t comment in any detail on what we’re doing, except to say this is an absolute priority.”Any swap would apparently require Griner to first be convicted and sentenced, then apply for a presidential pardon, Maria Yarmush, a lawyer specializing in international civil affairs, told Kremlin-funded TV channel RT.
The Chicago White Sox saw Shohei Ohtani at the plate earlier this season at Guaranteed Rate Field.They are lined up to see the two-way star on the mound during their upcoming West Coast trip.AdvertisementThe Sox begin a three-game series Monday against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., and the 2021 American League MVP Ohtani — who has 16 home runs this season — is slated to pitch Wednesday.The Sox are off Thursday and then have three games at Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants, who just called up former Sox Yermín Mercedes from Triple-A Sacramento.AdvertisementHere’s what to watch for as the Sox try to build off Sunday’s 4-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles.Angels slugger Shohei Ohtani watches his solo home run during the third inning against the Mariners on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)The teams split a four-game series April 29-May 2 at Guaranteed Rate Field.The Sox won the series finale 3-0, which was the beginning of a season-high six-game winning streak.A lot has changed since then for the Angels, who fired manager Joe Maddon on June 7 after losing 12 straight games. The skid ended at 14.The Angels are 8-11 since Phil Nevin became the interim manager.Through the shakeup, Ohtani and Mike Trout have continued to produce.The Sox limited Ohtani to two hits in 13 at-bats in the first series. He had one home run, two RBIs and scored three runs.While Ohtani didn’t pitch in that series, the Sox faced him once last season. He allowed three runs, one earned, on two hits while striking out seven and walking five in 4⅔ innings on April 4, 2021, at Angel Stadium.AdvertisementOhtani has a .261/.339/.493 slash line this season with the 16 home runs and 47 RBIs. On the mound, he is 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 12 starts.“Who else can do that?” Sox manager Tony La Russa asked April 29 before the first series this season. “A lot of people have power, but it’s not just the fact that he’s got a good arm. He’s got an assortment of pitches that are quality. He’s unique.”Ohtani homered twice and drove in eight June 21 and then struck out a career-high 13 the next night against the Kansas City Royals.Trout, a three-time AL MVP, is on a tear. He’s slashing .340/.444/.943 with nine homers and 17 RBIs in his last 15 games.Angels center fielder Mike Trout gestures after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Mariners on Friday in Anaheim, Calif. Trout is tied for second in the American League with 22 home runs and leads the lead with a .658 slugging percentage. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)Trout is tied for second in the Amerian League with 22 home runs and leads the league with a .658 slugging percentage.One thing to keep an eye on with the Angels: potential suspensions after they were involved in a wild benches-clearing brawl with the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Eight were ejected, including Nevin and Angels pitchers Raisel Iglesias, Andrew Wantz and Ryan Tepera.AdvertisementLa Russa indicated the Sox could get starting third baseman Yoán Moncada back from the injured list Tuesday. Moncada has been out with a strained right hamstring.“Be nice to get Yoán in there, get some muscle in the middle of that lineup,” La Russa said Sunday.Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon delivers against the Braves in the fourth inning Wednesday in Atlanta. (Harkim Wright Sr., AP)A pair of former Sox are having big seasons with the Giants.Starter Carlos Rodón, who signed a two-year deal with the Giants in March, is 6-4 with a 2.70 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 14 starts.The left-hander’s next start is Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. The team is off Thursday before welcoming the Sox, likely hurting the odds of a reunion matchup.The Sox selected Rodón with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft. He went 42-38 with a 3.79 ERA in 121 appearances (116 starts) in parts of seven seasons with the team.Advertisement“Playing with the White Sox was a pleasure,” Rodón said after a March 24 Cactus League start against them.Outfielder Luis González was named the National League Rookie of the Month for May after slashing .368/.410/.500 with eight runs, 28 hits, seven doubles, a home run, 13 RBIs, five walks and three stolen bases in 23 games. Overall, he is slashing .302/.361/.447 in 49 games.He was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Wednesday with a low back strain.The Sox drafted González in the third round in 2017. He went 2-for-9 with three walks and three runs in nine games over two seasons for the Sox. The Giants claimed him off waivers on Aug. 11, 2019.There’s a chance the Sox could see Mercedes, a former designated hitter with the team, during the weekend.Giants first baseman Yermin Mercedes gestures after fielding a ground ball against the Reds during the seventh Sunday in San Francisco. (Darren Yamashita/AP)He had a big impact early in 2021 with the Sox, becoming the first player since at least 1900 to begin a season with eight consecutive hits. He was named the AL Rookie of the Month for April but cooled off and was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on July 2.AdvertisementMercedes was designated for assignment earlier this month, and Giants claimed him off waivers June 18.
Doctors learned early in the pandemic that COVID-19 was more than a respiratory disease. It was attacking bodily organs, including the heart — even in healthy, young athletes.Enough athletes with COVID were experiencing heart inflammation, called myocarditis, that doctors at the University of Maryland and other Big Ten schools didn’t want to take any chances.AdvertisementMyocarditis already was seen as one of the leading causes of sudden death in elite athletes, so doctors across the conference immediately imposed official protocols that kept some players off the fields for up to six months. Some grumbled, but everyone recovered.“They could be walking time bomb and we’d only find out retrospectively,” said Dr. Yvette Rooks, who oversees care for more than 530 athletes on 19 teams as head team physician at the University of Maryland, College Park. “Some had symptoms and many did not. This really could save lives.”AdvertisementUniversity of Maryland, College Park (ANDRa© F. CHUNG / STAFF)The doctors also started taking a deeper look into the chests of each student-athlete testing positive for COVID-19 starting in the early months of the pandemic, eventually reviewing some 1,600 cases.As they learned more about the risks, doctors scaled back intense testing and reduced the length of time out of play. But a registry created from the athletes’ health data is now poised to help the doctors understand more about the longer-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19.Doctors and researchers at the University of Maryland and other Big Ten schools plan to follow the athletes even after graduation to better understand the consequences of COVID-19 on the heart, said Rooks, also a clinical assistant professor of family and community medicine at the university’s school of medicine and a co-investigator on the registry.The registry has specific findings from several tests, including MRIs, which are not typically performed on people testing positive for COVID-19. The detailed images found 37 cases of myocarditis, though only eight of those athletes had cardiovascular symptoms.Lacrosse player Jack Brennan was one of the asymptomatic cases. While home in Rochester, New York, in December 2020, he took a COVID-19 test so he could visit his grandparents and was surprised it came back positive. He was even more surprised when he returned to College Park in January 2021 and an MRI found swelling around his heart.He was frustrated to sit out the spring 2021 season, but with time and learning about the seriousness of the condition, he became more understanding.He was cleared by the fall of 2021 to return to play, and now 21, he’s eligible to compete as an intercollegiate athlete for two more years, instead of one. (The Big Ten gave athletes who missed a season under the more extensive timeouts an extra year of eligibility.)“I didn’t know what to think or what it was at first. All I heard was, ‘You’re not allowed to play,’ and I did give them a hard time, because I was impatient,” Brennan said. “But I’m not an expert. You have to listen to the doctors.”AdvertisementAnd he’s glad they’re using his records to keep looking at the long-term effects.“If they can figure out the process you go through, figure out how myocarditis affects athletes, that would be helpful,” Brennan said. “No one really knows the long-term effects yet.”Jack Brennan of Maryland charges past August Sally of Loyola Maryland on Feb. 12, 2022, before scoring at Maryland Stadium. Brennan was frustrated to sit out the spring 2021 season after having swelling around the heart, but with time and learning about the seriousness of the condition, he became more understanding. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun )Among the things researchers want to know is whether damage or scarring will ever cause issues and when and what is the cardiovascular tie to so-called long COVID, where symptoms persist well after an infection. Another lingering question is whether those who had asymptomatic cases, like Brennan, should be concerned.Early indications show that mild cases with no symptoms won’t be an issue, said Dr. Matthew Martinez, past chair of the American College of Cardiology’s Sports & Exercise Cardiology Section. He’s not involved in the Big Ten registry.Martinez studied data from a larger subsequent registry of athletes that found up to 15% developed myocarditis after COVID-19 infections, but there were no cases of sudden cardiac death.The study concluded that the intense across-the-board testing done by the Big Ten, specifically the use of MRIs, was needed only when athletes had cardiac symptoms or other heart tests were abnormal.AdvertisementFurther, Martinez said, returning recovered athletes to play faster was safe in most cases.Martinez said, however, the abundance of caution taken for all the athletes wasn’t a bad idea when no one knew what to expect from the new virus.“It’s really important to know,” said Martinez, also medical director of Atlantic Health System Sports Cardiology at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. “We’re all learning this on the fly. There is a measure of relief across the athlete community.”A doctor passes in front of University of Maryland Medical Center in 2020. (Ulysses Muñoz)Going forward, Martinez said, athletic programs ought to have a plan for athletes who develop heart issues on the field, including increasing access to defibrillators across all playing arenas.He said that cardiac testing, even an MRI, is needed when athletes have symptoms such as pressure in their chests, fast heart rates or breathlessness, or if they later develop those symptoms.He also said there should be study of protections from vaccines against myocarditis, which appears to be significant, as well as the risk from the vaccines themselves, which seems minimal. None of the Big Ten athletes developed the condition after the vaccinations.AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Martinez hopes there is a continued “focus on health and safety for athletes, including cardiovascular health.”Maryland’s Jack Brennan, right, shoots past Rutgers’ Brad Apgar on April 10, 2022, to score at Maryland Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun)Big Ten researchers say studies are underway using the registry data, and that others are planned.Dr. Geoffrey Rosenthal is a professor of pediatrics in University of Maryland’s School of Medicine and chief of pediatric cardiology at University of Maryland Medical Center. He is serving as coordinator of six “core labs” that make up the registry. That’s where data from specific tests are housed so they are uniformly interpreted. The epidemiology and cardiac MRI labs are housed in Maryland’s medical school, while the overall registry is based at the Ohio State University.Rosenthal said answers to the doctors’ questions will come in time. But he already had immediate advice for the general population.“One of the biggest takeaways for the athletes and the general population is that the best way to protect one’s heart is to get vaccinated and get boosted when it’s time,” he said. “The second public health message for people who have or had COVID: If they have heart palpitations or chest pain, they should seek medical attention.”The researchers also were glad they have a bank of MRI data that identified all the myocarditis cases, even the asymptomatic ones. That offers a unique opportunity for researchers, said Dr. Jean Jeudy, professor of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine at the Maryland medical school. He leads the cardiac MRI core lab for the registry.Advertisement“It will be important for us to follow these student-athletes over time to determine whether mild myocarditis has any permanent impact on their heart health,” he said, “and how any findings may apply to the general population that tends to be older and sicker than these athletes.”