World News – USA – Washington football season is over as Huskies reject the bowl bid for the 2020 season due to COVID-19

SEATTLE – On Monday, as Washington pulled out of this week’s Pac-12 championship game against USC, Husky head coach Jimmy Lake said he was « very, very confident » his team could have his season with to continue a bowl game.

The program announced in a press release on Friday that it had made a medical decision not to pursue a bowl bid. On Wednesday, UW reported 25 active positive cases of COVID-19 in its sports department – 14 more than the week before. It is university policy not to reveal how many cases are associated with a particular program.

Between the 15th. June – when UW athletes returned to campus – and 15. December. 16. 560 athletes have 6. 360 PCR tests received with a total of 79 positive cases (1st. 24%).

The Pac-12 requires 53 available scholars, including a quarterback, seven offensive linemen, and four defensive linemen to qualify for the competition. Due to a combination of positive cases and contact tracing, Washington has not hit the 53-player minimum this week and has no offensive linemen available to play.

The huskies haven’t exercised since December. 9 – when they paused all team-related activities due to a spike in positive COVID-19 cases and subsequent tracking. That surge forced the Lake team to cancel the rivalry game in Oregon last weekend and then, after officially becoming North Division champions, withdraw from Friday’s Pac-12 title game.

Well, the same day that USC and Oregon met in Los Angeles for Pac-12 supremacy, the UW season ended with a tweet and three prepared statements.

« I am really disappointed with our players, coaches and staff who have committed themselves to this very challenging season and who were looking forward to seeing the University of Washington, the entire Husky Nation and the Pac-12 Conference in one bowl game to represent. UW Athletics Director Jen Cohen said in the press release. “For the past 10 days we have made every effort, including suspending all football-related activities and continuing aggressive testing protocols, to get our team ready to get back on the field.

“However, given the number of positive cases, especially in the offensive position, we won’t have a team ready for the competition due to our extensive return to playing medical protocols. Since the beginning of training this fall, we have made a commitment to only return to play if we have been able to do so in a healthy way and unfortunately we are not yet able to do so at this point. ”

According to a source, the decision to pass the postseason game on was more tied to the schedule for returning to conditioning and training than to further positive COVID-19 tests within the program.

« As we shared earlier this week, we have taken proactive measures to curb the further spread of COVID-19 in our football program, » said UW football team doctor Dr. . Kim Harmon said in a statement. “After continuing our break in all football related activities, we are confident that we made it this week.

“With this in mind, we have seen a number of positive cases within a key position group. Because of our thorough return to game politics, we couldn’t have had a team willing to return to practice and safely prepare for and participate in a bowl game. Despite the aggressive protocols we created and implemented at the beginning of the season, and which we have strictly adhered to throughout the year, we were still in this position due to the strength of this virus. ”

Washington’s season officially ends 3-1, with four regular season games being the fewest since 1944 and four total games being the fewest since 1918. Two more games in Cal and Washington state have been canceled due to COVID-19 issues related to opponents. After the Apple Cup was canceled, UW hosted Utah in a replacement game in November. 28 – Overcoming a 21-0 half-time deficit for a dramatic 24:21 win.

Rob Scheidegger, UW’s deputy sports director for health and wellness, said: “We saw our first (positive COVID-19) cases on the Friday before the game against Utah. ”

« I’m so grateful for Coach Lake’s leadership and proud of the young men in our football program who have overcome this season’s difficulties with grit and class, » Cohen said in the statement. “Our decision allows our players, who have given up so much this year, to go home and be with their families again for the holidays.

“We also understand that this is incredibly difficult for our seniors who made a remarkable impact on this campus and in our community during their time at Montlake. We want to thank them for their contributions and guidance, and for being great huskies. ”

Of course, UW is not alone in this decision. The other Pac-12 programs Stanford, Washington State, UCLA, and Utah have also voluntarily removed their names from the Bowl exam.

« Our goal each season is to win the Pac-12 championship and win the bowl game, » Lake said in a statement. « I’m so proud of our boys for how hard they worked to enable us to achieve these goals. Unfortunately, due to the positive cases we’ve seen specifically on our offensive line, we couldn’t have had a team willing to compete in a high-level bowl game as we’ve returned to game protocols. This is disappointing for everyone in our program and for the Husky Nation as a whole, but this is the right decision in order to protect the health and safety of our players, which is always our top priority.

« Our boys have given up so much this season and I want to thank them for how they have handled everything. I would also like to pay special tribute to our seniors who have put so much into this program. We are so proud of them for everything they have achieved on and off the field. ”

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