Michigan State Pauses Football Workouts After Staffer Tests Positive for COVID-19

Just over a week into extended summer workouts, the Michigan State Spartans football team is pausing its team workouts. This comes in the wake of the most recent round of staff testing for COVID-19 over the weekend which had a test come back today with a positive result. The Athletic Department had the following release:

While the NCAA is allowing schools to start up to 20 hours a week of team activities including conditioning, weight training, film study, and walk-throughs starting July 24 through August 6, MSU has stated it will not do so until it receives all surveillance testing results back. Currently the NCAA has allowed up to eight hours per week of all the previously mentioned activities except for walk-throughs since July 13.

Fellow Big Ten programs have also had to pause recently after the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Maryland Terrapins had positive test results. Both programs have since resumed workouts.

The Spartans have had returning football players along with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams’ returning players on campus since June 15. Freshman and other newcomers to the teams were allowed to report to campus on June 29. Since then over 500 COVID-19 tests have been administered to student-athletes and staff. Out of the 402 tests on student-athletes, seven came back with positive results. Of the 104 COVID-19 tests administered to staff members since June 15, only one has come back positive. Prior to the June return of student-athletes, MSU’s medical and training staff, accounting for an additional 15-20 individuals, were tested for COVID-19 as well and all tested negative.

Since the initial June tests, MSU released updated test results last week. In the latest round on July 13 results are available for, three of the 38 athletes tested on July 13 tested positive for COVID-19.