Source: Bulldogs’ sports medicine chief has COVID

Ron Courson was not in attendance at Wednesday’s practice.

Last week, coach Kirby Smart said that more than 90% of his team has been vaccinated.

ATHENS — Georgia has a potentially big problem heading into Saturday’s game against Clemson.

Ron Courson, the Bulldogs’ director of sports medicine, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-constitution. The news was shared with the football staff Wednesday, and Courson was not in attendance at Wednesday’s practice.

UGA policy prevents officials from making any comments about an employee’s medical status.

At the least, this means Georgia’s medical chief of staff won’t be in Charlotte for Saturday night’s matchup against No. 3 Clemson in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. More concerning, however, is the fact that Courson’s role in the athletic department puts him in physical contact with virtually every member of the football team, especially those who are injured.

As of this week, no Georgia players have been reported to have COVID-19. However, contact tracing could be a problem.

Last week, coach Kirby Smart said that more than 90% of his team has been vaccinated. However, vaccinated individuals can still catch the virus, especially the new delta variant.

Meanwhile, the SEC has retooled its policies and procedures in light of the vaccination. Fully vaccinated individuals who are asymptomatic are not required to quarantine after an exposure to someone infected with the virus. However, unvaccinated athletes and staff are still subject to quarantine requirements.

It is, of course, not known which members of Georgia’s team are not vaccinated.

Courson, who has served as Georgia’s director of sports medicine since 1995, is a member of the SEC’S Return to Activity and Medical Guidance task force. That group has been lauded for helping the SEC navigate its way through the coronavirus pandemic to get in a football season last year. At Georgia, he has been at the forefront of combating the virus and personally established most of the protocols the athletic department has used to safeguard its athletes through the pandemic.

But in that role, Courson is the one person in Georgia’s football complex who has contact up and down the chain. He oversees all of the Bulldogs’ injury rehabilitations and all in-house COVID19 testing.

Ron Courson’s role in the athletic department puts him in physical contact with virtually every member of the football team, especially those who are injured.