Oklahoma football dealing with COVID outbreak that’s wiped out position group
Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley provided a concerning update on Tuesday regarding his team and the coronavirus.
With the Oklahoma Sooners and the rest of the Big 12 set to take the field next month, some downright worrisome news has been delivered by head coach Lincoln Riley.
On Tuesday, Riley said he’s had a position group effectively ‘wiped out’ due to the coronavirus. With the season right around the corner and players seeing a negative impact due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear Riley and his coaching staff have been dealt with some additional anxiety throughout August.
Holy cow. Lincoln Riley won't say which position group it is, but says he had one group essentially wiped out -- all but one -- by a COVID test. He said it's a position group that needs "multiple" guys on the field together. #Sooners
— Jason Kersey (@jasonkersey) August 25, 2020
Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners are expected to once again push for a conference title this fall
While Riley didn’t come out and say which position group took such a strong hit, it’s head-turning news, to say the least. It’s reasonable to assume the group could be the offensive or defensive line. The primary worry for coaches and players right now in the middle of the pandemic has been keeping everyone as safe as possible.
Oklahoma has dealt with plenty of adversity surrounding COVID-19, as it was announced on Aug. 15 that nine players tested positive for the virus.
In addition to those nine players, Riley said a small group of student-athletes were also in isolation for a little while at the time after being in close contact with teammates who had tested positive.
Lincoln Riley says they got 8 or 9 of their quarantined players back today. They had 17 players quarantined before that. "We're definitely under 10 active cases."
— SoonerScoop.com (@SoonerScoop) August 25, 2020
Riley also said on Tuesday that the team once had a total of 17 players quarantined, but that as things currently stand, he believes the Sooners are under 10 active cases across the board.
With the season so close to getting underway, the goal will be to get everyone as healthy as quick as possible but also making sure they’re staying safe and at minimum risk of catching the coronavirus.
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