It seemed like only a matter of time because of where things are headed with the coronavirus pandemic. And sure enough, Ohio State has its first casualty as news broke Wednesday that the game at Maryland has been canceled because of a coronavirus outbreak within the Terrapin program.
Per an announcement from Maryland, eight Terrapin football players have tested positive over the last seven days. Because of the outbreak, Maryland has paused all football activities after consultation with university health officials with cooperation from the Big Ten.
“There is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Maryland AD Damon Evans said. “We realize that this news is disappointing to all of the Maryland fans out there who were looking forward to the Terps taking on an outstanding Ohio State team, but the responsible thing for us to do is pause football activities, given the number of positive cases currently in our program.”
Head coach Mike Locksley echoed his athletic director’s comments.
“We’re obviously extremely disappointed that we’ll be unable to host Ohio State this Saturday,” Locklsey said. “It was an opportunity that our team was preparing for and excited about. However, we have and always will keep our players, coaches and staffs safety at the forefront of our decision-making process. We’ll continue to operate as much as we can virtually as we monitor the situation in hopes of returning to play when it’s deemed safe.”
#Maryland had eight players test positive during the past seven days. AD Damon Evans: "The responsible thing for us to do is pause football activities, given the number of positive cases currently in our program.”
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 11, 2020
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s comments were — as expected — right on point as well.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is our main concern,” head football coach Ryan Day said in a statement. “Obviously, we are disappointed at not being able to compete this week, but I am incredibly proud of our team and the way they have handled themselves throughout this entire pandemic. We wish Maryland, their student-athletes and programs well as they battle through this issue.”
This now means that Ohio State will only play at most seven regular-season games this year, and a championship week contest to be determined based on their finish in the East Division. If it comes to it, the Big Ten Championship Game is still on the table.
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