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Northwestern halts football practice after a single positive test, while UIUC appears to shrug off test results

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Northwestern has halted football workouts after a player tested positive for COVID-19.

The university tweeted a statement Monday saying the university “medical staff will implement the University’s rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols.”

The player is isolating and several teammates are quarantining, the school said Monday. The team’s most recent workout was Friday. The next one will be Wednesday at the earliest.

Northwestern’s news comes shortly after Illinois’ athletic department announced it has recorded 23 positive COVID-19 test results since players started arriving on campus for voluntary team activities in early June.

The football team’s more than 100 football players have accounted for greater than 75% of the athletic department’s positive tests, the university said, though it’s unclear the exact number of players the virus has infected.

* Meanwhile…

After Thanksgiving break, all University of Illinois classes will move online, Chancellor Robert Jones announced Monday in a mass email.

Nov. 20 will be the last day of in-person instruction for the fall semester, so the last week of classes and exams will be held online or through “alternative delivery methods,” Jones said.

The Illini have two football games scheduled after all classes move online on November 20th: One against Ohio State; the other against Northwestern.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:45 am

Comments

When all of the students return over the next month to towns where colleges are reopening, it’s gonna get ugly.

Comment by Keyrock Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:49 am
Feel like this part of the press release being cut is bad journalism.

Illinois said 12 student-athletes tested positive upon arrival and the other positive tests occurred due to “interaction with roommates or through community spread.” Illinois said “only four of the positive tests were remotely symptomatic” and no UI student-athlete required hospitalization.

Comment by Illini Fan for Truth Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:55 am
Rich - Big 10 is expected to release a new football schedule today. So those two games after the change may be moved forward.

Comment by Seats Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:57 am
===due to “interaction with roommates or through community spread.===

So?

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:58 am
Based on JB’s EO on youth and adult sports why isn’t this applied to universities in the state as well? They are student-athletes.

Comment by 1st Ward Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 10:59 am
when the governor says all sports are stopped in the state except for college and pro, you are legal, but you might not be wise. tell us about more precautions you are taking that go beyond the state mandates.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:04 am
Things I know;

The ACC has decided to release a conference only schedule, Notre Dame in the mix.

The PAC-12 football players are threatening not to play at all without safety assurances and other concessions.

The SEC has yet to release its schedule of 10 conference games per school.

When 3 of the Power 5 football conferences can’t get in synch, you expect NU and U of I to grasp what is a uniformity in the conference, let alone sharing the same state?

Also, the money these schools need from TV rights alone… they will wait until they can’t, which is the week of Saturday, September 26.

The rest? I have no idea.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:05 am
Also worth noting my Scarlet Knights are currently locked down due to a spiraling outbreak:

https://www.nj.com/rutgers/2020/08/massive-coronavirus-outbreak-envelopes-rutgers-football-team.html

Comment by njt Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:13 am
I can’t believe colleges have canceled these sports already. I’m sure it has nothing to do with their alumni donors wanting big games and parties to attend at all.

Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:13 am
I think the PAC-12 thing with the players is very interesting. As for not canceling, yet, alumni donors may be part of it, but this biggest part is TV revenue. Many university budgets (entire school, not just sports programs) relies on TV revenue from football (and basketball to a lesser extent). The schools will try to hang on as long as they can.

Comment by SAP Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:24 am
When the games are finally canceled the impact on Northwestern and the University of Illinois will have different consequences. Northwestern is a private school. Private funds must fund the deficit. Illinois is a public university. Guess who will fund the deficit? Coaches salaries and the cost of new facilities will no longer be insulated from criticism because they were funded by self generated money.

Comment by CapnCrunch Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:55 am
It’s OK. Go ahead and *schedule* games as much as you want. Not gonna happen, but doesn’t hurt to schedule them and let people dream….

Comment by Groundhog Day Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:56 am
G@Just Me 2,

U of I has already announced that no tailgating will be allowed this year.

They’ve also said that they’re limiting stadium capacity to 10 or 20%, but the joke’s on everyone who read that and gasped in concern. Attendance at Memorial Stadium has been terrible for several years; I think there was one game last year with only 10-12,000 fans present.

Comment by Lynn S. Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 11:58 am
I’m still confused why we are even discussing having college sports when we haven’t even tried to get the disease under control first. I continue to be saddened that such a significant portion of our population is willing to let people die or suffer serious long term consequences (not to mention the significant medical debts) just to not be mildly inconvenienced.

Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 12:22 pm
@SAP I agree with your analysis but this is total hypocrisy. Shut down all the businesses as we can’t put people over profit….. Exploit free labor at a university with the label “student-athlete” meh we need the money as a university student-athlete health be d*****.

Comment by 1st Ward Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 12:34 pm
===due to “interaction with roommates or through community spread.===
So?

COVID only counts if it’s transmitted while the ball is in play.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 12:35 pm
@ Illini Fan for Truth,

Have you read the story in today’s News-Gazette?

They’ve run over 1200 tests on 164 student athletes, and trying to brag about a rate less than 2%.

23/164? That’s roughly 1 in 8.

12 kids had Covid-19 on their first test? That’s almost 1 in 14, showing up on campus with a highly contagious disease.

11 picked it up after they got here? Is that anything to brag about, in a summer with no classes on campus, and fewer kids in apartments in the summer than the fall.

We haven’t even touched on the 2 staff members in athletics (sports or job titles unnamed) who’ve also tested positive since June.

Shrugging off “asymptomatic”? That’s terrible (banned punctuation). The asymptomatic ones are out running around, spreading Covid-19. The ones who have symptoms stay home, reducing their contact with the rest of the community.

Comment by Lynn S. Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 12:40 pm
Lynn - you posted an answer to Illinois that was much better than mine. I think mine might have gotten caught in the ‘anonymous’ filter as I may have forgotten to type in my handle.

Comment by thoughts matter Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 1:04 pm
How many of the Miami Marlins have been hospitalized? How many of the St. Louis Cardinals have been hospitalized?

Comment by ajjacksson Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 1:18 pm
The issue with the reporting in the Tribune, Sun-Times, etc is they’re just reporting the 23 cases, not that over half of them weren’t spread on campus. I feel this is an important part of the numbers if you’re going to vilify the program.

Comment by Illini Fan for Truth Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 1:57 pm
===How many of the Miami Marlins have been hospitalized?===

A better question is how many of their parents will be? How many people did they spread it to?

If MLB and NFL can’t keep it in check, the universities have no chance. Call time on this effort.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 2:33 pm
===How many of the Miami Marlins have been hospitalized? How many of the St. Louis Cardinals have been hospitalized?===

Hope this helps clear up your ignorance and apathy:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2020/08/03/iu-football-players-mother-posts-covid-19-diagnosis/5577215002/

Comment by njt Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 2:35 pm
So roughly 17% of the U of I football team tested positive during voluntary practices since June. That bodes well for when 30,000 students show up soon.

Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 2:37 pm
-A better question-
Ok, fine. But you still didn’t answer my question.

According to IDPH, zero people in DuPage county under 40 died of Covid in July 2020. Nearly a million people live there. They could do better at social distancing, and still nobody under 40 died. I know number of deaths doesn’t tell the whole story. Still, how can we say the virus is “out of control?”

Comment by ajjacksson Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 2:39 pm
This is a non-story. The vast majority of football players tested positive at intake and not because of activities. There were 5 positive tests as a result of football and this is over several weeks. Of the total of 23 athletes, only 1 showed symptoms. If they are being quarantined anyhow, what difference does it make to healthy 18-22 year olds if they test positive without symptoms? For all those screaming “long term health effects” duh, they play football and that is their choice. Give them a choice whether they want to sit season out or keep playing (as all colleges have.

Comment by Logical Thinker Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 2:41 pm
“How many of the Miami Marlins have been hospitalized? How many of the St. Louis Cardinals have been hospitalized?”

The Marlins and Cardinals players had the option to opt-out. College players should lose their scholarship?

The Marlins and Cardinals players are paid millions of dollars. College athletes are “student-athletes” and do not get paid.

College sports is amateurism whereas professional sports is professional.

Comment by 1st Ward Tuesday, Aug 4, 20 @ 4:19 pm