Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his staff watch during the first half of the Alabama-Auburn football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Photo by Laura Chramer)Laura Chramer
Before Thursday, there weren’t any reported cases of SEC football players testing positive for COVID-19.
That’s not the case anymore.
Multiple outlets, including BamaInsider, reported Thursday that at least five Alabama players have tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
While AL.com has not gotten confirmation on an exact number in terms of positive tests at this point, we can confirm that several players have in fact tested positive for COVID-19.
At least one of the players who tested positive for COVID-19 was in attendance for player-led workout sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The player was asymptomatic during those sessions, which the Crimson Tide coaching staff was not involved in coordinating.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes is a top priority,” Alabama said in a statement. “Resources and protocols are in place to ensure they receive the best medical care when returning to campus. Due to privacy laws we cannot share information specific to the health of our student-athletes.”
As of Thursday morning, there have been 18,766 known cases of COVID-19 in the state of Alabama, including 5,369 in the last 14 days, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
