Boise State football has joined an unwanted football club.
Earlier this month, Boise State welcomed back some of its football players for voluntary on-campus workouts. Two weeks later, however, it’s being reported that the university has put a halt to all athletic activities. The suspension will last through Sunday, the Idaho Statesman reported.
According to the Statesman, eight individuals recently tested positive for COVID-19. It’s unclear what combination of Boise State football players, coaches and/or support staff are involved.
Obviously, the university is not divulging the names of those who have tested positive.
“I’m very appreciative of the way our department has stepped up to provide the safest environment within our facilities for our entire staff and student-athletes,” BSU athletic director Curt Apsey said in a statement. “This is difficult, but our overall goal remains the same -- keeping our community, campus, student-athletes and staff safe through these challenging times.”
Saturday afternoon, K-State announced that it is pausing all voluntary workouts as well. The reason? “[A] total of 14 student-athletes have tested positive for active COVID-19 following PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing of more than 130 student-athletes.” The weekend before that, Houston decided to put a halt to voluntary on-campus workouts after six symptomatic UH student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.
Boise State is scheduled to open the 2020 season at Sept. 5 against Georgia Southern.