The Michigan State football program became the third of the Big Ten East division’s seven teams to suffer a coronavirus outbreak this summer. Just minutes ago, the school made an announcement that included the release of recent testing data. The school tested 122 athletes from July 20-24, and found 16 positive cases.
Are we going to have a college football season to bet on? Probably not, so you can click here for other outlets where you can do your recreational wagering. It just doesn’t seem feasible to play college football during a pandemic. MSU also had four athletic department staff members test positive, and that means the Spartans program summer workouts are now on pause.
The school statement reads: “all members of the football team are currently in isolation or quarantine, while awaiting completion of a requested 14-day quarantine that began on July 22.”
If you’re still holding on to hope that we’re going to have a college football season…well, your optimism is commendable, but you’re going to have to face facts sooner rather than later. Football is a sport where at least a dozen guys are not only touching each other, they’re in each other’s faces panting and sweating.
Rutgers suspended their football activities on Saturday, having suffered a coronavirus outbreak of their own.
Ohio State also put a stop to workouts a couple weeks ago, when their football team was stricken with a wave of cases. The very next day, the Big Ten, very well aware of what had happened with their cash cow bellwhether sports program, went to a conference only plan this season.
Michigan is one of the states that has been hit the hardest by this pandemic, but you have to commend the job that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has done to try and limit the severity of the crisis.
The MSU statement adds that:
“for the individuals who tested positive, daily check-ins with athletic training staff will continue while the individuals remain in isolation, with additional services provided as directed by the medical and administrative staffs. Further testing and physician follow-up will be required prior to returning to any level of workouts.”
Given the duration of the quarantine, the earliest possible return date for Michigan State football is August 4. MSU Athletics have tested 524 individuals, and found 23 positive cases.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.