Commodores On Hold Following New Positive Tests

A "small number" of Vanderbilt football players have tested positive for COVID-19, pausing football activities.

On Friday, Chris Lee of VandySports.com tweeted that Vanderbilt "has had multiple new positive COVID-19 tests today, and therefore has canceled football practice on Friday."

Commodores head football coach Derek Mason and defensive coordinator Ted Roof were scheduled to speak with the media on Friday following a practice. However, shortly before the scheduled start of that event, an email was sent to members of the media canceling the event. 

There was no indication in the email as to the reason for the cancelation, but given Lee's earlier report, the reason seemed apparent. 

Mason confirmed the report on Friday night with a tweet confirming that "We've had a small number of positive COVID_19 tests in our program. Health & safety remains a priority. We cancelled Friday's practice and are temporarily pausing activities. We're following the university's protocol until it is deemed safe to resume."

Precisely what this in terms of the length of time activities will remain pause remains to be seen, and the impact on the plans to continue forward could also come into question. 

Vanderbilt is not the first team to have a group of positive teats. However, they are facing this issue later in the process than some other programs that suffered positive test results upon players return to campuses. 

Regardless, this is not good news for the Commodores, the SEC, or college football at this point as the SEC, along with the ACC and Big-XII push on toward a season that is scheduled to start in just over one month. 

When the Commodores return to the practice field, they will have lost valuable time on the "grass" that players need to prepare for the season. 

Perhaps the most critical position on the field will be impacted most by the lost times, as Mason and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch is currently working through a four-player quarterback competition to determine who will become the team's starter on Sept. 26. 

There has been no timetable given by the university as to how long activities must remain paused under their protocols, and we may not know more for some times, as information has flowed slowly from McGugin Center during this pandemic.