‘Unreal’ in virus-ravaged Italy, says former Chiefs coach, Mizzou player Brock Olivo
Former Missouri Tigers running back and Chiefs assistant coach Brock Olivo is on the ground in the deadliest country on the planet for the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. He calls the experience “unreal.”
Olivo has been in Rome since Feb. 14, a week before the nation confirmed its first death from the disease. His girlfriend and his 10-year daughter live in Italy.
He told the Chicago Tribune that he is healthy and has not required testing. He’s in a two-week quarantine, however.
“It’s as close to apocalyptic as we have ever seen,” Olivo told the Tribune’s Brad Biggs.
Olivo finished his Missouri career in 1997 as the program leader in rushing yards and touchdowns and won the first Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation’s top special teams player.
He was the Chiefs’ special teams coach from 2014-16 under Dave Toub and spent the 2017 season as the Denver Broncos’ special teams coordinator. Olivo spent the previous two years as a Chicago Bears special teams assistant but was released after last season.
He had visited Rome in January and returned the following month to join the coaching staff of an Italian professional team, the Lazio Ducks.
“I got back here right about the time this thing was starting to take off,” Olivo said. “I’ve basically been here since the onset. Shortly thereafter, it started exploding up in the northern part of the country and from that on its been…unreal.”
As of Tuesday, Italy had recorded more than 7,500 known deaths from COVID-19, the most of any nation. Only China had recorded more than Italy’s 75,000 confirmed cases.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 2:06 PM.