7 Arkansas St. athletes test positive for COVID-19
Alabama also reportedly had multiple positives
JONESBORO, Ark. — Seven Arkansas State athletes tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating for 14 days, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said Thursday.
The seven athletes are from three sports, and all were asymptomatic. They learned the results Wednesday night.
Damphousse said contact tracing has begun, and anyone who has been exposed to any of the seven athletes will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
“This is a day that we knew would come, not just at A-State, but for colleges and universities across America,” Damphousse said.
An Arkansas State spokesman said he didn’t know how many athletes have been tested since they began returning to campus for voluntary workouts.
Oklahoma State and Marshall have announced they’ve each had three athletes test positive. Mississippi also has had an athlete and staff member test positive. A student worker in the Iowa State athletic department also has COVID-19.
Alabama also reportedly had multiple positive tests. At least five Crimson Tide football players have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to 247Sports, which cited multiple unnamed sources.
Citing privacy laws, the university declined to comment on the reported results, saying it “cannot share information specific to the health of our student-athletes.”
“The health and safety of our studentathletes is a top priority,” the university said in a statement. “Resources and protocols are in place to ensure they receive the best medical care when returning to campus.”
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
NORVELL: Florida State’s Mike Norvell apologized Thursday after a star player accused the coach of lying about personally connecting with every football player to discuss the police killing of George Floyd and ensuing protests against racial injustice.
After a team meeting early Thursday involving players and coaches, defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, who called out his first-year coach the night before on Twitter, took to social media again to declare the matter settled.
“Took a stand we got what we wanted & we are moving forward,” Wilson wrote on Instagram. He also posted a nearly four-minute video detailing how the team plans to register to vote and raise funds for organizations that help send young black people to college and aid poor children in the Tallahassee, Florida, area.
Wilson, who is black, said Wednesday night on Twitter that he and his teammates were “outraged” by Norvell’s characterization of having individually touched base with every player last weekend.
Norvell released a statement saying that was a mistake.