Outbreaks on teams, postponement in SEC
The Southeastern Conference is taking a hit from the coronavirus.
The conference on Monday postponed Saturday’s game between No. 24 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive virus cases and quarantining within the Bulldogs’ program.
No. 5 Texas A& M paused inperson activities after a player and a staff member tested positive for the virus after returning from a win at South Carolina. LSU is dealing with an outbreak that could put Saturday’s game against No. 1 Alabama in jeopardy. And Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman tested positive and could miss the game at No. 6 Florida.
The stopandstart nature of college sports in a pandemic is familiar by now, but the cluster of problems was a reminder how fragile the season is.
Mississippi State said its program has fallen below the threshold of 53 available scholarship athletes needed to play. The game was tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12 in Starkville, Miss. Athletic director John Cohen said the Bulldogs were disappointed, but “our priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our studentathletes and staff.”
Texas A& M head coach Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies were undergoing additional testing and contact tracing amid hopes the team could return to campus Tuesday. He was confident that Saturday’s game at Tennessee would be played.
Pittman learned Monday he had tested positive. SEC protocol for asymptomatic positives will require him to isolate for at least 10 days from the date of the positive test if a retest confirms the result. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom will serve as interim head coach.
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron stressed he wanted to be cautious about answering medical questions and didn’t want to get into the number of players affected by the team’s latest outbreak or the number of positive tests. He said related quarantines because of possible exposure have thinned his roster.
Badgers back? No. 13 Wisconsin expects to play Saturday at Michigan after canceling its past two games because of a virus outbreak within the team.
“We feel confident that we have a handle on the situation and are excited to play this week at Michigan,” athletic director Barry Alvarez said Monday. “As we have done throughout, we will continue to monitor our testing results and base our decision on those results.”
Wisconsin officials said they have five active COVID19 cases involving three staff members and two players. Five of the past six days have resulted in no positive cases. One staffer and one player have tested positive over the last week.
Player accuses police: An LSU player’s socialmedia post about being harassed by Baton Rouge police has led to three officers being placed on administrative leave, the city’s police chief said.
Freshman receiver Koy Moore said he was “violated” by officers who stopped him at gunpoint last weekend and unzipped his pants while searching for “a weapon that I repeatedly told them I did not have.”
Moore said officers also questioned him about whether he was in possession of illegal drugs, and snatched his phone when he tried to take video of what was happening.
“If I didn’t tell those incompetent officers I was a LSU football player, there’s no telling if I would’ve been here to tell the story,” Moore added.
Injuries take toll: Baylor junior linebacker Terrel Bernard, the Big 12’ s top tackler, will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury. ... Alabama head coach Nick Saban says running back Trey Sanders is out indefinitely after surgery for injuries sustained in a car accident. ... Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will be out against No. 13 Wisconsin and likely for the rest of the season.