The North Texas athletic department announced four active cases of COVID-19 Monday morning in its latest set of testing results, according to a source within the athletic department.
The school declined to release information on which specific teams, athletes, coaches or staff members tested positive. A school spokesman confirmed before Saturday night’s football game against SMU that linebackers KD Davis and Tyreke Davis were unavailable due to medical reasons. Head coach Seth Littrell declined to discuss the two players’ absence following the game beyond the provided statement by the spokesman.
North Texas’ football game against Houston slated for Sept. 26 is still on as of Monday, where the Cougars have yet to play their first game in 2020. The Cougars’ games against Rice and Memphis were postponed due to COVID-19-related issues. Houston’s scheduled game over the weekend of Sept. 19 with Baylor was postponed.
North Texas athletics mandates football players, coaches and personnel to test three times per week under Conference USA’s COVID-19 procedures for the fall season. Athletic department officials established a series of protocols over the summer to ensure the safety of its athletes and staff members based on testing and social distancing in locker rooms and athletic facilities.
Since testing began for athletes and staff members in June, 26 members of the North Texas athletic department have recovered from COVID-19 infections. A total of 3,442 tests have been conducted since.
Featured Image: Head football coach Seth Littrell looks out onto the field before the game against SMU on Sept. 19, 2020. Image by Zachary Thomas