Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: Sooners are back at work, but with 14 COVID-19 cases

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners waits for the return to live television to speak to the media after the game against the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2019 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Cougars 49-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners waits for the return to live television to speak to the media after the game against the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2019 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Cougars 49-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

OU officials delayed the return of Oklahoma football players in hopes that it would protect the health and safety of players and staff alike from exposure to the coronavirus.

The players’ health and safety was the primary reason for the delayed opening, but it also afforded the opportunity to get the optimum plans and contingencies in place to minimize and respond to any health scenarios should they arise once everybody is back together.

A total of 111 Sooner players were tested for COVID-19 on Monday. Seven players tested positive, but there were also seven other players whose positive condition existed prior to the Monday testing, according to a news release posted on the school’s athletic departmane website. Two of the 14 players who have tested positive for the virus are now recovered.

In addition, 72 athletic department staff members were also tested and two tested positive.

OU officials did not disclose which players had tested positive.

Given what we have learned from a number of other schools that brought players back several weeks before OU’s July 1 player return, it shouldn’t be that surprising that some Sooners tested positive upon their arrival back on campus. Lincoln Riley said as much a couple of weeks ago when he acknowledged in an interview on ESPN Radio that some of the OU players have been exposed or tested positive for coronavirus.

“Nobody is immune from this,” he said.

That became crystal clear on Wednesday as the Sooners began voluntary workouts in preparation for the 2020 college football season.

The real test is how the Oklahoma staff manage the situation from here. Last week, the university revealed the protocols and procedures that are in place to protect the players that are back for voluntary workouts and the support staff from exposure to the coronavirus.

Players who test positive will be quarantined at an on-campus facility and supported by OU medical staff with meals and other services. The length of the quarantine period will be determined by the medical staff in conjunction with the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Not surprising that COVID-19 cases have been identified at the outset of the players’ return. The university and its athletic department will ultimately be judged on how well they manage and respond to COVID-19-related issue going forward from this week.

The OU athletic department has also announced, and ESPN and other sources are reporting, budget cuts of approximately $13.7 million, including a 10 percent salary reduction for all employees making $1 million or more annually. The budgetary actions are the direct result of COVID-19 expenses, including testing protocols and extra health and safety measures.

This is still uncharted territory, and everything remains very fluid as we’re starting to see coronavirus cases go back up in certain areas of the country.

All of us understand that we continue to face challenges in the weeks ahead, said Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione in statement issued by the university. We will continue to closely monitor the situation — here and elsewhere — and take appropriate actions as necessary, he said.

Home/OU Football