Notre Dame Football Resumes Practices Wednesday, Even as 39 Players Are Out in Connection With Covid-19 Coronavirus
(Steve Welsh - SCW 9.29.20) After the latest round of Covid-19 coronavirus testing earlier this week, Notre Dame Football now has 39 players either isolated or quarantined.
Yet after pausing football activities Tuesday of last week, the Irish now are resuming practices Wednesday of this week. In the interim they already had been maintaining conditioning activities.
According to ESPN, Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly indicates that the latest expanded outbreak was tied to a pregame meal, as well as a previously asymptomatic player getting nauseous on the sideline during their last game.
"Notre Dame will resume team practices Wednesday ... but ... [is] chang[ing] the way it will eat ... pregame meals and will now have rapid antigen tests available .... [Brian] Kelly said team doctors determined ... the outbreak ... stemmed from ... the Sept. 19 game ... [when Notre Dame ate] their pregame meal together, and [later] one player ... threw up on the sideline during the game and was treated for dehydration. ... Kelly said[,] '... We get into our game situation where we have pregame meal together, and that cost us. Big. We had somebody who was asymptomatic, and it spread like wildfire throughout our meeting area where we were eating and then it got guys in contact tracing.' ..."
Video:
Notre Dame postponed last Saturday's game and now has a prearranged bye week before hosting winless Florida State in primetime on Oct. 10.
Notre Dame Football communications posted a statement explaining some of the latest testing details:
"'A total of 273 COVID-19 tests were administered to Notre Dame football student-athletes last week (Tuesday-Sunday). ... [of which] there were 18 positive tests .... Those 18 student-athletes are in isolation, and their close contacts have been identified. Of those 18 ..., seven were already in quarantine as previously identified close contacts. As of Monday, Sept. 28, ... 25 players are currently in isolation, with 14 others in quarantine as a result of having been identified as close contacts. In consultation with the St. Joseph County Department of Health, the Notre Dame football program has resumed conditioning activities and will continue to adhere to testing protocols and procedures through this week and the season.'"
September 28 - Testing Update pic.twitter.com/fubn0Dc0qD
— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 28, 2020
According to WSBT (and others), Kelly is considering rapid antigen tests to supplement testing already done on Fridays:
"... Kelly suggested the team will consider giving players rapid antigen tests on the sidelines in an attempt to combat the virus. 'That's the kind of shifting sands in this whole thing, learning in-game what do you do, what don't you do. We test Friday nights, too, so you're hoping your PCR test is getting that, but it's still a 50-50 proposition if you're cooking over that time, so there's still a little bit of uncertainty.' ..."
It was about a century ago that the greatest all-around player to ever play the game, George Gipp, died while still a Notre Dame student, of a communicable illness. In his case, Gipp reputedly had strep throat that turned into pneumonia, years before the discovery of penicillin.
Additional Resources:
Notre Dame Will Reportedly Resume Practice Wednesday - Blue and Gold Illustrated
Brian Kelly ties Notre Dame football outbreak to pregame meal, in-game illness - WSBT
Notre Dame football COVID-19 outbreak caused by pregame events - WNDU
Brian Kelly Cites Pregame Meal as Cause for Notre Dame's COVID-19 Outbreak - Bleacher Report
Notre Dame Provides Sept. 28 COVID-19 Football Testing Update - Irish Illustrated
Notre Dame Football Had 18 Positive Covid-19 Tests Last Week - Sports Illustrated
Notre Dame Announces 18 Football Players Tested Positive for COVID-19 - Bleacher Report
18 Notre Dame football players test positive for COVID-19 - ABC 57
Notre Dame announces 39 football players in isolation or quarantine - WANE/AP
Key Words: Notre Dame Football, Covid-19, Coronavirus, Pandemic
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