Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has Tested Positive for CoVID-19
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has tested positive for CoVID-19, the school announced on Friday.
According to the press release, defensive line coach Larry Johnson will serve as the interim head coach on Saturday.
The department completed another round of their daily testing on Friday morning as the team prepared to travel too Champaign, Illinois for its game against the Fighting Illini. All coaches and support staff that tested positive will undergo PCR testing this afternoon to confirm their positive test results this morning.
Further, the Buckeyes are not traveling to Champaign today. They will instead go on Saturday morning before the game against Illinois.
Ohio State acknowledged on Friday for the first time that the team has been dealing with a batch of positive tests this week for the first time since August.
"At this time the Department of Athletics can confirm an increased number of positive tests this week for the coronavirus. This is in contrast to testing throughout the season, when Ohio State had consistently recorded nearly 0% positivity since Aug. 11. The increased number does not reach the threshold for Ohio State to have to cancel the game this week, according to Big Ten Conference protocols."
While players that test positive for the virus are required to sit out 21 days, coaches that have the virus are only required to miss 10 days. Depending on when Day actually tested positive, he may or may not be required to miss the Michigan State game next Saturday, Dec. 5.
“I have spoken with Coach Day, and he is doing well physically,” Director of Athletics Gene Smith said. “I feel terrible for Coach and for the members of the program who have been diagnosed with a positive test. Coach Day and this team have been true leaders in handling things so well throughout this pandemic. Our team wants to play this game, and we’re going to do everything we can to help make this happen. All of the decisions on the welfare of our student-athletes and staff members will continue to be guided by our medical staff.”
The athletic department says they will keep Illinois and the Big Ten aware of how the situation develops.
Day is the fourth coach in the conference to be diagnosed with the virus, alongside Purdue's Jeff Brohm, Wisconsin's Paul Chryst and Maryland's Mike Locksley.
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