Mets exec Donovan Mitchell Sr. tests negative for COVID-19

Donovan Mitchell Sr., a New York Mets executive whose son was one of the first U.S. sports stars to test positive for coronavirus, tested negative for COVID-19, the team announced Friday. The younger Donovan Mitchell, a guard for the Utah Jazz, confirmed Thursday that he had the illness. A day earlier, Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

The elder Mitchell is the Mets' director of player relations and community outreach. The Mets had issued a statement on Thursday that read, in part, "When news surfaced last night of the situation involving the Utah Jazz, we immediately contacted Donovan Mitchell Sr. to advise him to not report at our facility this morning.

"Upon learning today that his son, Donovan Mitchell Jr., tested positive for the Coronavirus, we brought that fact to the attention of our medical team, who recommended, as a precautionary measure, that Donovan Sr. be tested." The Jazz beat the Knicks 112-104 on March 4 in New York with Donovan Mitchell scoring 23 points. According to the New York Post, Mitchell Sr. was in attendance for the game at Madison Square Garden. Per the report, Mitchell Sr. rejoined the Mets the next day at their spring training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen plans to speak with reporters Saturday on a conference call. The NBA season was halted Wednesday night after the league learned of Gobert's positive test.

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that it was canceling the remaining spring training games and pushing back the start of the regular season at least two weeks. On Friday, MLB ended official spring camps, telling all players that they could go home. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)