BLACKSBURG, Va. (WAVY/AP ) — The pandemic disrupted college sports again Saturday, with Virginia and Virginia Tech postponing their Sept. 19 football opener because of COVID-19 issues at Virginia Tech.
The schools said this was a mutual agreement. No makeup date was announced for the game that had been set for Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech also will not hold football practice for four days.
The postponement is the second for the Hokies since the Atlantic Coast Conference released a revised schedule. Their original opening game, slated for Sept. 12 against North Carolina State, was pushed back two weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak at N.C. State.
Virginia is now scheduled to open its season on Oct. 3 at No. 1 Clemson.
On its web page, Virginia Tech reported Friday it has had 219 positive tests for the coronavirus in the previous seven days, putting its total infections at 633 since testing began Aug. 3. The numbers have risen steadily since students returned Aug. 24.
The school has not been releasing athlete-specific results.
Virginia released its latest numbers for athletes and athletic staff on Saturday, saying it has had five positive tests since the last update on Sept. 4. The school said four of the five positives were from students who recently returned to campus and that the football program has not had any positive results since the first report on July 24.
“The safety as well as the physical and mental well-being of these young men and women entrusted to our care by their families remains our top priority,” Hokies athletic director Whit Babcock said in a statement.
“While we share the disappointment of everyone who hoped to begin the football season against our in-state rival, we remain optimistic that a full ACC football schedule can be played thanks to the flexibility the present format permits,” Babcock said.
On Twitter, some of Virginia’s coaches offered praise for their players.
“It is really this simple… you either are committed to your team or you are not,” offensive line coach Garett Tujague tweeted. “There are those that can sacrifice for each other and then there are those that CAN NOT. The greatest thing is… You get to make that choice.”
Running backs coach Mark Atuaia noted the “grave sacrifices” by his players.
“My heart goes out to them because no one is giving merit to the disciple my young brothers have displayed since the pandemic hit,” he tweeted. “My UVA young brothers are AMAZING!!!”
Conferences going ahead with a fall football season are requiring their schools to test athletes three times per week, and about a dozen games have already been postponed because of those results, which require quarantining for those infected and those identified through contract tracing to have come in contact with those who test positive.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says any person who spends at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of a person who is infected with COVID-19 is deemed a high-risk contact and requires a 14-day quarantine. High-risk contacts can also involve touching or being sneezed on or coughed upon by an infected person.
The NCAA adopted those standards in its return-to-play guidelines.
“The safety, as well as the physical and mental well-being of these young men and women entrusted to our care by their families remains our top priority. While we share the disappointment of everyone who hoped to begin the football season against our in-state rival, we remain optimistic that a full ACC football schedule can be played thanks to the flexibility the present format permits. Despite this delay, our schedule still aligns closely with the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 football timelines,”
Whit Babcock| Director of Athletics
UVA’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 321 current positive cases among its faculty, staff, students, and contract employees, while Virginia Tech has a total number of 633 positive COVID-19 tests.
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