Florida State and Clemson will not play Saturday after the teams’ medical personnel could not mutually agree on moving forward with the game, the ACC said in a statement.
The teams were supposed to play at noon in Tallahassee, Florida.
A source told ESPN that a Clemson player tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday after practicing with the Tigers during the week. That led Florida State to say it was not comfortable playing Saturday’s game, the source said.
“We are disappointed that we will not be able to play today’s game against Florida State,” tweeted Clemson AD Dan Radakovich. “Clemson has followed all of the ACC’s protocol in preparation for this game. We look ahead to returning to action next week against Pitt for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day.”
In a statement, the league said both teams continue to adhere to the minimum outlined protocols within the ACC Medical Advisory Group report.
“Our first priority is the health of our student-athletes, and I appreciate the protocols that have been put in place by FSU and the ACC to ensure everyone’s health while allowing us to play this season,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that we will not have the opportunity to compete today, but we hope to be able to play Clemson in December. I am thankful for the support and coordination between our administration, Clemson and the ACC office. Our team will now turn our focus to hosting Virginia next week.”
ACC protocols state teams must be tested the day before competition, so both Florida State and Clemson got tested Friday per conference rules. Those tests are done by an independent third party, and results are received either the same day or early the following day. Once those tests are received, both schools get on a call with the ACC to sign off on whether they feel comfortable proceeding with the game. This is standard before any ACC game can be played.
In this case, Florida State (2-6) and No. 4 Clemson (7-1) could not agree to move forward with the game. Clemson made the trip to Tallahassee fully intent on playing the game.
Man, we were ready to play.
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) November 21, 2020
The ACC also announced a number of schedule changes on Saturday.
The Louisville at Boston College game that was moved to Dec. 12 will now be played Nov. 28 and Wake Forest at Louisville has been moved to Dec. 19.
The Wake Forest at Duke game will not be rescheduled. Wake Forest has now been approved to play a nonconference game Nov. 28.
