The Wisconsin Badgers’ game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday is officially off. The Badgers, which are dealing with a spike in COVID cases within their locker room that left them with only one scholarship quarterback, announced the news on Wednesday morning, saying that all football-related activities are off for the time being.
Amid the statement, it was revealed that the team’s head coach, Paul Chryst, tested positive for COVID-19, with Christ saying, “This morning I received the news that I had tested positive via a PCR test I took yesterday. I informed my staff and the team this morning and am currently isolating at home. I had not been experiencing any symptoms and feel good as of this morning. I am disappointed for our players and coaching staff who put so much into preparing to play each week. But the safety of everyone in our program has to be our top priority and I support the decision made to pause our team activities.”
The team also announced that the game against Nebraska will not be played altogether, an unsurprising development as the Big Ten has put forth a condensed schedule with the hopes of playing a season this year. Over the last five days, 12 members of the Badgers’ football program have tested positive for the virus, and according to the New York Times‘ tracking data, the state of Wisconsin has had the third-highest daily average of positive test per 100,000 residents over the last week.
