Saban Announces Daily COVID Testing Changes
Alabama football coach Nick Saban spoke to the media on Wednesday and revealed that his players are now being tested daily for COVID-19. With cases rising around the college football landscape, Saban stressed how important it is for the players to have peace of mind.
"It's the best thing for the players", Saban said. "It's the best thing for the program. We have the capabilities and the resources to do it, so we are happy to do that. Hopefully everyone feels safe and we won't have to quarantine some of these guys."
The SEC ruled that teams must test their players no less than twice a week during game weeks, however, there is currently no limit on how many times a player can be tested.
Missouri, who plays the Crimson Tide on Sept. 26 in Columbia, recently announced that 12 players will not be playing due to contact or contracting COVID-19. Saban was asked if any players for Alabama would be sitting out for the first game.
"We don't really have anyone that would be out for sure for the game", Saban said. "We may have some injured players who may not recover enough to be able to play in the game."
Saban went on to mention that there will be no announcement on who will not be playing until sometime next week.
COVID-19 cases in the SEC have been hurting some of the major programs. Outside of Missouri, Tennessee announced that the team has 44 players who are dealing with COVID. This announcement comes after controversial comments from LSU head coach, Ed Orgeron who stated that he believes that most of his team has already contracted COVID-19.