UofL football pausing all team-related activities due to increase in COVID-19 cases – WLKY Louisville

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we’ve We’ve postponed the game this Saturday with Virginia to the following Saturday. Uh, you know, this evening, after consulting with our chief medical officer, Dr Scotty Newcomer and Matt Summers airhead trainer, it was decided that a precautionary pause and our team activities was warranted. Um, we had our test results. We got this evening. We had a few more players test positive. Uh, all but one of them were already in quarantine related toe last Friday’s test results. But they, in fact, did have a few more positive. So where we stand today, we now have 10 players who have tested positive. We have five more in quarantine. Do the contact tracing so 15 and total related to the the team. But in addition, way had five support staff members who tested positive, and two more are are in quarantine. So, you know, a total of 22 made up of 15 positives and seven and quarantine. No coaching staff, no coaching staff members there, including those figures. Uh, and while the number of players probably isn’t as high as you have heard from other programs that have taken a pause, you know, we felt it was necessary due to the fact that the support staff that tested positive they work closely with our players in the training room and and in the equipment area. So, you know, obviously a hands on approach in terms of working with them, and that gave us a little concern. And it felt like we need to take a time out here. So we communicated with the A C. C in Virginia this evening. You know where we are and our desire to pause. Um, Dr Newcomer talked to the league on our behalf, and obviously I was in communication with Carl Williams, the athletic director in Virginia. So both the league in Virginia were understanding of the situation. Andi, I think one of the reasons that its’s you know, probably for that understanding, is both Virginia and us have, ah, bye week on November 14th. So we felt like we had an opportunity to reschedule the game very quickly. The following Saturday three game time has moved from eight PM to 3 30. We’ll be on a C C network. Um, so there, if there is one benefit out of this, we won’t be challenged to be up against the Clinton noted endgame. But, uh, nonetheless, it does provide us additional time, you know, to really further assess any potential spread that may be happening with the virus in the program. Our plan at this point is way told the team. We just got everybody just made them all aware that we’re taking a pause. We’ll test the players again on Friday morning, as we normally would on a Friday, and they were gonna test again on Sunday morning. Traditionally, we would test on Monday within 48 hours of the game on Saturday, but we’ll move it up to Sunday morning, you know, hopefully have those results sometimes, uh, Saturday afternoon, early evening. And those results will dictate, you know, when we return the team activities. So we’re certainly hopeful that the results allow us toe get back quickly to practice. But if we see you know, spread inside or outside the locker room, we may have to extend that period and, uh, that we plan to pause. So, um, you know, it’s it’s well, touch and go. We don’t have anything definitive to date on when that is, but we’re hopeful that, you know, Friday and Sunday go well we may. We may be back in meetings as early Sunday evening or back Monday, but well, certainly consult together with Dr New Cover And Matt Summers are trainers. So sorry for the late, uh, conference here tonight, you know, is we’ve been working through the details that we didn’t have a test results until this evening and, you know, with frankly and then here we are with Coach Satterfield having a radio show between seven. And eight. We weren’t certainly looking to disrupt that while he had that going on. We’ve had the ability to update him. Uh, Coach Mendenhall, also at a radio show at the same time. I know Carl Williams wanted the opportunity of day Bronco and so he could let his players and staff know what’s going on much like we have here, so that that’s kind of a quick update. I happen to take some questions. At this point. We’ll go Thio Cameron from the courier, and then Mike Barbara from the Richmond paper. Hey, Vince Scott on Saturday and then get on Monday said he wasn’t really sure. Kind of. How this got into the program is you guys did your contact tracing kind of You’re kind of digs through this. How do you kind of have a sense of how this got into the program or kind of where they started? We don’t, but as you know it, uh, it was kind of centered around our defensive line. Um, you know, that’s where we were hit. You know, we were down now to three scholarship defensive lineman, and that that makes, uh, you know, matters tough is well, but I know others have played with, you know, players out of different positions. But when you get into the trenches and there’s a lot of contact there between the offensive defense climbing, that’s certainly one that the league has its eye on. Do it, Mike. Right along on that same topic. I understand. You know, it’s about health and safety first, but was there much of a discussion with Coach about? Uh, could you feel the competitive team and did that factor in it all? Yeah. I mean, we certainly, you know, we just went through it last week and and went out there with five really four scholarship defense lineman last week, And, uh, you know, I think we were trying to figure out, like most how to scheme around it. You know, other teams the league of had to do that. We were certainly our coaching staff was already on that path. And then with the more positive showing up today again and the same same area of the defense that that stressed this a bit. And I think that, um, you know, there is concern for the other, certainly the other linemen. But also, I think the fact that when you get into the training room where you know that is a that’s a definite concern. It’s always a concern when you get outside of the players to the staff there. Actually, you know, they’re they’re handling our staff. I mean, handling our players and, uh, I think that caused they enough concern to stop and take a look.