Cal Football Player Tests Positive for Covid-19
Both antigen and PCR tests came back positive for the novel coronavirus
The season debut of the California Golden Bears this Saturday against the Washington Huskies may be in doubt, according to a statement made by California Head Coach Justin Wilcox Wednesday. Coach Wilcox said it was “fair” to describe the 7:30 p.m. PT game as in jeopardy.
“A member of the Cal football program has tested positive for Covid-19, marking the first positive test within the Cal football program since the start of daily testing at the beginning of October,” Cal Athletics said in a prepared statement.
“He [had a] positive antigen test... confirmed by a PCR test, which is a part of the protocol,” Coach Wilcox said in a Wednesday evening press conference.
Coach Wilcox insisted the game against the Washington Huskies would not be canceled or postponed as a result of the development. “If it’s at all possible for us to play, we’re going to play,” he said plainly. “If it is feasible for us to play, we’re going to play the game. Are there hurdles? There are hurdles, yes.”
He then added: “If we have the bodies available to play the game, we will play.”
The University of California, Berkeley, reports the unnamed football player who tested positive for the novel coronavirus is asymptomatic.
Coach Wilcox says he should know the number of players that may have to miss the home opener against the Huskies by the end of the week or as early as the evening of Thursday, Nov. 5, Write for California was first to report on Twitter on Wednesday.
The Golden Bears conducted practice as scheduled on Wednesday with limited drills. “As a result of [the positive Covid-19 tests], several players were held out of practice and placed into quarantine as a part of contact tracing,” Coach Wilcox explained.
“The result of the contact tracing is significant,” Coach Wilcox said. The head coach added a “significant” number of football players are affected, declining to confirm an exact number of players now in quarantine after citing privacy concerns.
From June 4 to Oct. 30, the University of California, Berkeley, has conducted 3,547 PCR tests among its student-athletes with 20 positive results.
On Oct. 27, Cal men’s basketball team paused workouts when a team member received a positive Covid-19 result following a regularly scheduled PCR test. The basketball player was also asymptomatic, according to University reports at the time.
Anyone see that in their ever-continuing struggle to shoot themselves in the foot, the Pac-12 will still require at least a .500 record to be bowl eligible, despite the relaxing of that requirement Nationwide for this crazy season. This could definitely affect some solid 3-4 teams that were affected by COVID in terms of a no contest or the missing of key pieces (i.e. Cal). Granted, with the Holiday, Red Box and (likely) inaugural LA bowl all canceling, with more sure to follow...but maybe it's time for the Conference to stop hamstringing itself, whaddaya say....
News for the sports bettors: Last night, Cal was anywhere from a pick 'em to a one or 1.5-point favorite.
Overnight, the line has moved: Cal is now anywhere from a 0.5 to 1.5-point dog. One or two books still call it a pick 'em.