This week’s 5-on-5: five points on five of this week’s biggest sports stories.
1. David Patten, three-time Super Bowl winner with New England Patriots, dies in motorcycle crash at 47
- Patten died in a motorcycle crash last week outside Columbia, South Carolina, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.
- According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Nick Pye, Patten crossed the median causing a crash involving two other cars.
- Patten, a player in the NFL for 12 years, is best known for his 2001-2004 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he helped New England win it’s first Super Bowl win.
- The crash remains under investigation by the highway patrol and the coroner.
- “I am heartbroken by the news of David’s passing,” Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, said in a statement.
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2. Agreement reached for NHL players to participate in 2022 Olympics in Beijing
- The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association have come to an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee that will allow NHL players to participate in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
- The NHL did not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
- The NHL is able to opt-out of the agreement if COVID-19 conditions worsen, or if the regular NHL season is interrupted.
- NHL players have strongly advocated for the opportunity to compete in the Olympics since they were pulled out in 2018.
- Players who play in the Olympics are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
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3. Brazilian soccer legend Pele celebrates successful removal of tumor
- The 80-year old soccer legend Pele announced that he successfully had a tumor removed from the right side of his colon.
- Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele by his fans, is a three-time World Cup champion and former Minister of Sports of Brazil.
- The tumor was found by the doctors at Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo during routine exams.
- Pele celebrated on social media, calling it a “great victory.”
- Pele has been forced to use walkers and wheelchairs since a failed hip surgery in 2012.
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4. UConn says football coach Randy Edsall to step down immediately, instead of at season’s end
- UConn’s football coach, Randy Edsall, will be stepping down immediately, rather than at the end of the season like originally thought.
- The announcement of Edsall’s retirement came from UConn Director of Athletics, David Benedict, calling it a “mutual decision.”
- Edsall was once the proud face of UConn football, having led the program from Division I-AA to the FBS.
- Lou Spanos, UConn’s defensive coordinator, will serve as head coach for the time being.
- Edsall started coaching for the UConn Huskies in 1999.
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5. Georgia Bulldogs experiencing ‘highest spike’ of COVID-19
- “Three or four” of Georgia’s players had to be sidelined due to COVID-19, according to Kirby Smart.
- Last month, Smart said that more than 90% of players and staff had been vaccinated for COVID-19.
- Smart said that he was concerned for his team because of how many players got sick and because those sick were vaccinated.
- Georgia is not requiring fans to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend games at Sanford Stadium this season.
- Smart declined to identify those players who had been infected with COVID-19.
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