Nick Saban Addresses Who Will Sit Out Week 1 Due to COVID-19
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football coach Nick Saban addressed the media via Zoom on Monday to kick off the Crimson Tide's first game week of the 2020 SEC football season.
Right off the bat, Saban addressed an issue that many have been wondering: will any Alabama football players be forced to miss the season-opener against Missouri due to COVID-19?
The answer? As of right now, no one.
"[...] We don’t have anyone who’s out for sure," Saban said. "But we’re testing every day so that’s kind of an ongoing process as to how that goes."
Saban also reiterated that the team is testing every day in order to combat the spread and maintain their own bubble.
According to Saban, the Crimson Tide does not have any players currently diagnosed or recovering from the coronavirus. Including injured players, junior defensive back Ronald Williams Jr. will be the only player not available for the team this Saturday against Missouri.
Williams suffered a fractured arm during practice late last week and is expected to miss the foreseeable future.
"The only guy that we have out due to injury is Ronald Williams," Saban said. "He fractured his arm in practice about a week ago. So we know he’s out for the game."
Unfortunately for Missouri, the Tigers are not so fortunate. Last Wednesday, Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz announced that 12 of his players will be unable to play against Alabama due to either contracting the virus or coming into contact with potential carriers.
The names of the 12 players who will be sitting out have not been revealed as of the writing of this story.
