Celebrity Health

"Your opinion can eat sh*t."

Emily Cave -- the widowed wife of late Edmonton Oilers center Colby Cave -- does NOT want to hear your complaints about COVID-19 protocol ... explaining the alternatives to the safety measures are so much worse.

"My 25 year old husband died alone," Emily said in a powerful statement Thursday.

"I have no clue what his last breath was like. I have yet to have a funeral because of this global pandemic. So for goodness sake, wear a mask. Wash your freaking hands."

As we previously reported, Colby tragically died back in April after emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst from his brain was unsuccessful.

Emily was devastated over it all ... and says the coronavirus pandemic made everything infinitely worse.

She wrote Thursday that she couldn't be with Colby during his post-operation period ... saying, she had to get a phone call that he had died rather than "being there holding his hand."

Now, she's BEGGING people to just simply follow COVID-19 restrictions ... insisting they'll help others avoid a tragic situation similar to hers.

"Today I hit my breaking point with Alberta making new restrictions," Emily said. "I personally see and hear so many people complaining. I understand a lot of people feel that they won't get it and if they did they would survive it."

"However, what would happen if your loved one became sick very fast with something else, was in a car accident, or was dying ... and then because of the COVID restrictions you weren't allowed to be with them?!?!"

Mohamed Salah -- one of the best soccer players in the world -- has tested positive for coronavirus, the Egyptian Football Association confirmed.

The 28-year-old Egyptian superstar will now begin a self-isolation period -- where he must remain until he's cleared to return to action by medical officials.

"The medical swab conducted on the mission of our first national football team showed that our international player, Mohamed Salah, the star of Liverpool, was infected with the Coronavirus," the EFA said in a statement,.

Officials say Salah is not showing any symptoms -- and no other members of the Egyptian team have tested positive.

Salah is a beast on the pitch -- he's won the Golden Boot for leading the Premiere League in scoring in two separate seasons ('17-'18, '18-'19) and was the BBC African Footballer of the year in 2017 and 2018.

Less than a week after he was hospitalized in a bad car crash, Alabama running back Trey Sanders returned to the team locker room Thursday ... and TURNED UP!

The team threw an impromptu dance party Thursday following a work out where different players showed off their moves ... and when Sanders rolled in, everyone went wild!

Amazing to watch considering the redshirt freshman was injured so badly in the wreck, he was life-flighted to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

As we previously reported, Sanders was in a vehicle with his brother in Clarksville, Florida last Friday when they got into an accident that left Sanders in bad shape.

No word on his specific injuries -- but he seems to be recovering well.

Earlier this week, coach Nick Saban told reporters Sanders is expected to make a full recovery -- but noted there is no timetable on his return.

"He’s going to be okay but [this is some] pretty serious stuff."

Bama was supposed to play LSU this weekend -- but that game has been postponed due to COVID concerns.

Costco is giving members a new thing to bitch, moan and fight about ... anyone who can't wear a face mask, has to wear a face shield.

The superstore's nationwide face-covering policy update goes into effect Monday, and the new rules require all members, guests and employees to shield their faces, even if they have a medical condition preventing them from wearing a mask.

Costco was one of the first retailers to roll out mask mandates early on in the coronavirus pandemic, but originally folks with medical conditions could get a pass on face coverings.

It'll be interesting to see if the change sparks a new round of Costco shoppers losing their minds over face shields ... like this guy who got booted from a Costco back in May after refusing to mask up.

In a year where so many good things have gone virtual, here's one tradition carrying on just like normal ... the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree!!!

The 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce was chopped down Thursday and loaded onto a huge flatbed trailer in Oneonta, NY ... about 170 miles north of its Midtown Manhattan destination.

The massive tree will be erected Saturday, though the popular lighting ceremony isn't until December 1.

Rockefeller Center organizers, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, have yet to reveal exactly how they'll deal with holiday crowds wanting to gather for the event or see the tree up close, as the city's facing another crisis with rising COVID-19 cases.

The Mayor simply says they will take extra precautions to make sure it's safe for people to visit the spectacle in person ... which he says still evokes a "childlike wonder" for him.

Great news for John Elway ... the Denver Broncos legend has recovered from his bout with COVID and is set to return to the team facility on Friday.

60-year-old Elway tested positive for coronavirus on Nov. 3rd after experiencing what the team described as "minor symptoms."

He's been working from home and self-isolating ever since, the team says.

But now, things have taken a turn for the better, according to KUSA's Mike Klis.

"GM John Elway has recovered nicely from COVID and is cleared to return to his office tomorrow," Klis said.

He also noted Broncos CEO Joe Ellis -- who also tested positive for COVID last week -- "is still battling symptoms and is not yet cleared to return.

For what it's worth, the team believes both Elway and 61-year-old Ellis contracted the virus OUTSIDE the team facility.

The Broncos have a game this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that's also had some recent COVID drama.

COVID-19 can't stop Urban Meyer ... the college football coaching legend just revealed he beat the virus after contracting it recently.

The former Ohio State head man said he was fortunate ... and only experienced minor effects.

"I did deal with it," the 56-year-old told WBNS 10TV this week. "I've just recently gotten over it. I was relatively symptom-free."

Meyer -- who now works as a CFB analyst for Fox Sports -- says his positive test was the reason he and his other co-hosts had to bail on their “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show earlier this month.

Urban added he doesn't believe his diagnosis affected any of his co-workers.

"The good thing is none of my partners and teammates had it," Meyer said, "and we're going to be back at it this weekend."

Things are REALLY looking up for Mets fans ... just 2 days after their new owner promised to build a winner -- Noah Syndergaard showed his right arm can still throw missiles!!

... oh, and he did it all sweaty and shirtless!!

Syndergaard -- who had to undergo Tommy John surgery back in March -- posted video of him rocketing fastballs Thursday ... and it's gotta have people in NY ecstatic.

There was obviously concern the 28-year-old might not have the same firepower after the elbow operation ... but it's clear in the footage, Thor should be throwing close to 100 MPH again in no time.

The video comes on the heels of new Mets owner Steve Cohen saying Tuesday he wouldn't cut corners in the process of building the team into a premier MLB franchise.

"This is a major-market team," Cohen told reporters. "It should have a budget commensurate with that."

Syndergaard -- who didn't have the world's greatest relationship with the Wilpons (the previous owners) -- seems fired up to play for the guy ... he even changed his Twitter bio recently to reflect that.

"Dear Steve Cohen," Syndergaard wrote. "Hi, I’m Noah. Some ppl call me Thor. I’m a Met, working out in Florida, and I just want to win for Mets fans just like you."

Wanna see a guy tougher than you???

Las Vegas Raiders fullback Alec Ingold smashed up his ribs so badly on Sunday, he was forced to go to the hospital -- but now, the dude's trying to play in a game just 7 days later!

Ingold had to be removed from the Raiders' win over the Chargers last weekend after he broke 2 ribs in a violent collision with an L.A. defender.

The injuries looked serious ... Alec posted a pic of him hooked up to a ton of wires at a local medical facility -- and everyone wondered if that would spell the end of his season.

Well, Ingold is deciding there's no chance in hell of that ... 'cause he's not only gunning to play Sunday against the Broncos -- HE WAS BACK AT PRACTICE WEDNESDAY!

The 24-year-old is known as one of the toughest dudes in the league ... but sheesh, man!

"He’s like the throwback guys," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said of Ingold to reporters Wednesday. "He will not come off the field. He insists on playing."

"He’s been cleared to play, and he did practice today. I’d be shocked if he’s not ready to play great on Sunday.”

An Argentinian man crashed into a large pile of cacti during a recent bike ride ... and he was covered in so many thorns afterward -- he was forced to go to the hospital for treatment.

The poor guy's name is Diego Moreno ... an amateur bicyclist who was riding in Buenos Aires when the disastrous spill went down.

Moreno says he was cycling in a pack ... when he didn't see a pothole in the road. He claims his bike clipped it and sent him flying.

Unfortunately for Moreno, his landing area was giant cactus -- and he hit the plant so hard, it stuck hundreds of thorns into his body.

Check out the footage of the aftermath ... everything from Moreno's head to toe was covered in broken pieces of the prickly plant.

Good Samaritans tried to help Moreno ... but the damage was so significant, he had to get immediate medical care at a local facility.

Fortunately, Moreno did NOT suffer any life-threatening injuries ... and is expected to make a full recovery.

"Thank God I was wearing glasses and a helmet and I didn't injure my face or head," Moreno told local media after the wreck. "Because the way the spines got embedded in me, it could have blinded me."

Journey Brown -- Penn State's top running back in 2019 -- is retiring from football after doctors diagnosed him with a serious heart condition

It's called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a thickening of the heart muscle, which makes it more difficult to pump blood to the body.

According to the American Heart Association, "HCM has been cited as the most common reason for sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes under the age of 35."

Experts say things like "lifestyle changes" can make a big impact for people diagnosed with HCM -- which is obviously why Brown is making the decision to quit football. It's just too risky.

Penn State's head coach, James Franklin, said Brown only discovered the condition while undergoing routine COVID testing -- but noting, "it is not COVID related."

"We learned about this in early September, and we've been working through this and dealing with this as a team," Franklin said.

"The entire organization has rallied behind Journey and his family."

Brown was a force at running back -- earning MVP honors at the 2019 Cotton Bowl by rushing for 202 yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries in Penn State's victory over Memphis.

He led Penn State in rushing in 2019 with 890 yards and 12 TDs.

Brown has posted a statement about the situation -- saying his condition will prevent him from realizing his dreams of playing in the NFL, but "football will always be a part of me."

"The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts and I can't explain how I am feeling right now. However, I can walk away from the game knowing I truly gave my all at every practice, on every down and in the locker room every day."

Wanna reduce concussions in soccer by 20 percent?!?! Reduce the air pressure in the balls ... so says Purdue University.

Yeah, this is potentially huge news.

A team of engineers at Purdue have been looking into ways to make the game safer, citing claims that 22% of soccer injuries are "concussions that can result from players using their heads to direct the ball during a game."

Long story short, the team believes there's a connection between air pressure and injury ... and inflating balls to a lower pressure could make a HUGE difference to player health.

"The study, conducted by Purdue University engineers, found that inflating balls to pressures on the lower end of ranges enforced by soccer governing bodies such as the NCAA and FIFA could reduce forces associated with potential head injury by about 20%," the school said in a statement.

The researchers also recommended swapping out wet balls for dry ones -- because they more water they take on, they more danger they pose to players.

“If the ball has too high of a pressure, gets too waterlogged, or both, it actually turns into a weapon," said Eric Nauman, who spearheaded the study.

"Heading that ball is like heading a brick."

The defending NBA champs will be playing home games in front of empty seats to start off the 2020-21 season ... with the Los Angeles Lakers keeping fans home "until further notice."

The team made the announcement Wednesday ... saying it consulted with state and local health officials to come up with its plan for games as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

"The health and safety of our fans, players, staff and community are our main priority and we will continue to work with state and local officials to come up with a plan to safely welcome fans back to STAPLES Center in adherence with local, State, and NBA guidelines," the Lakers said in a statement.

"We appreciate your continued support and look forward to coming together, when it is safe to do so, to celebrate the raising of our banner and the quest for another NBA championship.

FYI, L.A. -- like many places across the country -- is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The 2020-21 schedule will be released soon ... and the season starts Dec. 22.