Boise State pauses spring football practice due to upward trend in COVID-19 cases
Boise State has paused all football-related activities due to an upward trend in COVID-19 cases and absences due to contact tracing.
The university announced the pause Tuesday evening, saying the move was out of an abundance of caution. The Broncos began spring practice on Friday.
After testing 50% of the team the past two weeks, the Broncos are currently without 19 people: Eight because of positive tests, and 11 because of contact tracing. The team did not disclose how many of its absent members are players and how many are coaches.
Practice will resume when medical experts say it’s safe to do so, according to a program spokesperson.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff is and always will be our primary concern,” Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey said Tuesday in a press release. “At this point in time, we felt it was in the best interest of the program to pause all activities.”
Before beginning spring practice, Boise State conducted weekly PCR COVID-19 tests on 50% of the team, which exceeded the offseason testing guidelines from the NCAA.
For the rest of the spring, all players, coaches and staff members will be tested on a weekly basis, according to the university.
This isn’t the first time the Broncos have put things on hold because of the virus. Boise State paused voluntary workouts last summer after a spike in positive cases led the campus to be shut down for two weeks in late June and early July.
After the Mountain West Conference initially postponed football season last fall, the Broncos were scheduled to play eight games but their regular-season contests against San Jose State and UNLV were canceled. Boise State finished the season 5-2 after losing in the conference title game against San Jose State.
Boise State’s spring game is scheduled for April 10, and the Broncos’ season opener is scheduled for Sept. 4 in Orlando, Florida, against UCF.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 8:21 PM.
