CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - Several Miami Hurricanes players have been benched after coronavirus concerns spread through the team’s locker room.
Before Saturday’s game against Virginia, the UM Football program abruptly benched six Canes players, placing them on the unavailable list.
Although the reason for the late scratches were not disclosed, reports suspected positive COVID-19 tests may have been the cause.
“2020 has been a year unlike any other, I mean not just with the coronavirus but with everything else that’s going on,” said Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz.
On Monday morning on WQAM, Diaz addressed how the pandemic has affected his team.
“I mean, this is just the reality of 2020, and I know we’re all fatigued of it. We’re fatigued of talking about it, and we’re no different, and I’m not different, but we can feel it, you know?” said Diaz. “The coronavirus is not going away, it is here. You can see the numbers where they’re at all over the country. I think our players can feel it that it’s around again, and it’s more prominent, and we really, really have to be smart and safe here to be able to play this football this last month.”
Diaz mentioned that if any of his players did test positive, the team’s coronavirus protocol would align with the university’s.
“Those players are quarantined away from the rest of the team, the rest of the student body, and it’s no different than it would be if it was someone that was here to major in business or any other UM student. We’re just right along with Dr. Frank’s policy on any positive tests we have,” Diaz said.
The six last-minute scratched players were all reportedly freshmen.
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