MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota announced Thursday that two additional student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 on the Gopher football team.
The announcement brings the program to a total of 49 confirmed cases since Nov. 19, including 23 student-athletes and 26 football program staff members
A "staff member" is defined as anyone associated with the team who is part of the daily testing protocol, which can include "student workers, coaches, communications, equipment, medical, operations, recruiting, video and more," according to the U of M.
The outbreak on the team led to the cancellation of last weekend's game against Wisconsin at TCF Bank Stadium, as well as this Saturday's game against Northwestern. Neither game will be rescheduled.
In a news release announcing the Northwestern cancellation earlier this week, athletic director Mark Coyle said the team will now set its sights on doing everything possible to play a scheduled road game at Nebraska Dec. 12.
According to a news release, some members of the football program returned to "light acclimatization workouts" under the guidance of medical experts on Wednesday, and continued to practice under similar circumstances again Thursday.
