MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The WVU athletic department announced Monday one Mountaineers football player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and will enter a self-isolation period for the next 14 days.
The player was not identified in a news release sent out by the university.
As part of the department’s health and safety protocol, contact tracing procedures were initiated and identified additional football student-athletes who could have been exposed. Those additional student-athletes will also be mandated to self-quarantine per the department’s plan.
Voluntary workouts for Mountaineers football players who tested negative for the COVID-19 virus began Monday. Players can participate in player-led workouts, as well as eight hours per week of mandatory fitness and instruction with the coaches. The department announced safety protocols for that return May 29, and they include the current CDC guidelines for containing and stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Other schools announced positive tests for their football players, including Marshall, which allowed players to return to campus in May. The school announced June 1 that two players had tested positive and have since announced a third case.
As for other Big 12 programs, Iowa State announced last week that 10 student-athletes, including two football players, tested positive prior to their arrival to campus.
Florida State, which WVU opens its season against Sept. 5 in Atlanta, had one player test positive last week. Other schools that have publicly announced positive tests include Clemson and Mississippi State.
Reports surfaced Monday that the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans of the NFL had “several” players test positive.
The University of Houston was forced to shut down all voluntary workouts across all sports after six student-athletes already on campus tested positive for coronavirus last week. However, the school did not require its student-athletes to have tests completed before returning to campus.
Tweet @SeanManning_DP
Tweet @dompostsports
