K-State football team exposed to COVID-19 after two student-athletes test positive
One day after Kansas State football players resumed voluntary workouts following several months away from campus because of the coronavirus pandemic, some members of the team may already need to go back into quarantine.
Summer workouts got off to a disappointing start this week in Manhattan when K-State announced that two of its student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.
“We will always keep our focus on the health and well-being of our student-athletes and staff,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “A small number of positive tests was something that we were anticipating based on what we are seeing from across college football, and our medical staff and coaching staffs are well-prepared for the next steps. While we know this is a very fluid situation, we have a great plan in place and all of our student-athletes have done their part in following the correct procedures to return to campus.”
Both student-athletes are presumed to be members of the football team, as they are the only athletes who are currently allowed to participate in on-campus workouts, per Big 12 policy.
It’s possible several members of the K-State football team have been exposed to the coronavirus. One of the football players who tested positive reportedly worked out at the team’s training facility before learning that he tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report from Gopowercat.com.
A team spokesperson denied portions of that report, saying that no student-athlete is allowed inside the team’s complex without first receiving a negative coronavirus test and that all safety protocols have been followed.
Riley County reported two new positive COVID-19 tests for males in their early 20s Monday.
The Wildcats announced last week that they tested 90 football players for the coronavirus and none of them produced a positive result. The unidentified K-State football players who tested positive were in a different group. K-State has now tested 120 of its student-athletes.
What does that mean for K-State football?
It will cause some headaches in the short term. The Wildcats took special precautions to limit exposure within the football team during workouts, including limiting the number of players that could be in their weight room at any given time, wearing masks at all times inside their facility and cleaning equipment after each use. K-State athletic officials also said they would screen all athletes and employees as they arrived at the team’s complex.
Any player who tests positive for the coronavirus will be asked to quarantine for 10 days, plus three more days without a fever. It’s less clear what university protocol is for that player’s teammates. Student-athletes who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive may also be asked to quarantine or undergo another COVID-19 test.
In the long term, K-State will hope that no one on the roster tests positive in two weeks and then move forward at full strength. But it may not be that simple for the Wildcats or any other college football team.
The hope was that increased testing, screening and other precautions would allow K-State’s student-athletes to get back to a normal summer workout routine inside a protective bubble. But that will be harder than expected. Players reportedly ignoring coronavirus guidelines may slow down K-State’s football plans this month.
Houston announced last week that it was suspending all football activities until further notice after six of its players showed coronavirus symptoms and then tested positive for COVID-19.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "K-State football team exposed to COVID-19 after two student-athletes test positive."