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Hoiberg Tests Negative for Coronavirus, Positive for Influenza A Flu

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg was rushed to the hospital Wednesday night during his game against Indiana, but was cleared of coronovirus. He tested positive for influenza A.
Tom Brew|
Hoiberg Tests Negative for Coronavirus, Positive for Influenza A Flu
Hoiberg Tests Negative for Coronavirus, Positive for Influenza A Flu

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Nebraska athletic department officials said early Thursday morning that coach Fred Holberg tested negative for the novel coronavirus at an Indianapolis hospital, but tested positive for influenza A, a form of the flu.

Hoiberg, the 47-year-old first-year coach of the Cornhuskers and a former great player and coach at Iowa State, wasn't feeling well before the game and was examined by team doctors at the team hotel and then later at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which is hosting the Big Ten tournament this week. He did not go to the hospital before the game to be tested for COVID-19.

That changed later in the game when Hoiberg started feeling worse. He was in obvious discomfort on the Nebraska bench and with just under 4 minutes to play, he left the bench area and went to the locker room. A few minutes later, he was taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis.

Nebraska said Hoiberg was diagnosed with diagnosed with influenza A, the school said. Hoiberg returned to the team hotel after being released from Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis.

"I'm good," Hoiberg texted Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune early Thursday morning.

Because of the uncertainty over Hoiberg's status, Nebraska's players were quarantined in their locker room at the arena for nearly two hours, and no one was allowed in or out of the locker room. Even the hallway leading to the locker room was roped off. The players didn't leave for their hotel until after midnight.

Four games are scheduled for Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and as of 6 a.m., the games were still on, although the league did announce on Wednesday that fans would no longer be allowed to attend the games, and only teams and necessary officials and credentialed media would be allowed in the building.

Big Ten officials are meeting in the morning, and the topic or whether the event should continue will be discussed. After the NBA and NHL shut down for an undetermined amount of time on Wednesday night, similar actions could very well happen in college basketball.

Indiana is expected to play Penn State at around 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Hoosiers were careful themselves, cleaning up and leaving right after the game without talking to the media. 

Only coach Archie Miller was available, and he talked about telling his players that that NBA was shutting down, that they needed to take this seriously and clean up, and that they needed to get to their hotel quickly. (See video)

Related stories

  • BAD DECISION BY HOIBERG: If Fred Holberg wasn't feeling well, he should have been checked for coronavirus before he went to the arena with his players. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA BEATS NEBRASKA: The Hoosiers win 89-64 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. CLICK HERE
  • NO FANS FOR BIG TEN EVENT: The league has announced that no fans will be allowed the watch the remaining four days of games. CLICK HERE
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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