Report: Michigan Football On Hold Due to "Presumptive Positive Tests"
The status of Michigan's game this Saturday against Maryland is now in question. TMI's Sam Webb reports the football program is pausing all team activities while they work to confirm a few "presumptive" positive tests for COVID:
The Michigan Insider has learned that the Michigan Football program is pausing team activities effective today based on presumptive positive tests. The team was alerted to the shutdown earlier this morning. Whether this is a momentary stoppage or something lengthier will depend upon "confirmatory PCR test results. All meetings planned for the day will commence virtually in order to continue the preparation for Saturday's matchup with Maryland if it winds up not being canceled.
Feelings about the state of the season aside—and I realize those are difficult to put aside—it's hard not to look at the state of the pandemic and wonder if shutting down the program for the season isn't the best course of action.
Another Big Ten game originally set for Saturday, Northwestern-Minnesota, has just been canceled. The conference championship game is likely to feature one, and probably two, teams that wouldn't have won their divisions without other teams failing to meet the minimum games played threshold. Who could've anticipated these issues when trying to play through a pandemic? Who knows.
Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to anyone affected.
We'll update the situation through the week as news comes in. There's no content after the jump.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:29 AM ^
Looked like they paused football activities several weeks ago to me
November 30th, 2020 at 11:38 AM ^
you get all my upvotes
November 30th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
You win mgoblog.com this year!
November 30th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
Golly, I hope this doesn’t affect Ohio State’s chances to got to the B1G Championship and playoffs!..... heeheeheeheee
November 30th, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
Newsflash, they literally did.
November 30th, 2020 at 2:04 PM ^
That word . . . I don’t think it means what you think it means.
November 30th, 2020 at 5:22 PM ^
November 30th, 2020 at 11:32 AM ^
The conference championship game is likely to feature one, and probably two, teams that would've have won their divisions without other teams failing to meet the minimum games played threshold.
Did you mean wouldn't have won?
November 30th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
Based on the style in Ace's post, I believe the proper word choice should be wouldn't've.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:32 AM ^
Wait. So Harbaugh’s repeated boasts that they had these amazing safety protocols in place that would protect the players, and allow them to play the season with no disruption, was a total crock?
Wow, knock me over with a feather.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
Eh. Nothing is 100 percent. Still takes people to follow guidelines. All it takes is on person to slip up, and it might not even be a slip up.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
Which is exactly why his boasts that they were doing it the “right way”, like they’d found some kind of magical formula that no other school could figure out, was ridiculous in the first place.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
The SEC has been a disaster.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
The pac 12 still can hardly get started and the ACC might've lost their playoff team in Clemson because they couldn't stay healthy
All around fail by the entire country
November 30th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
You must understand that "the right way" is not synonymous with "we have found a 100% fool proof way to not get covid" right
November 30th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Wtf? That was the one thing he did correctly!!! It's December and to my knowledge, this is the FIRST positive test we've had since COVID started. Everyone in the SEC has it, Saban has it, Day has it, Izzo has it, fucking mush mouth Holtz has it. The entirety of MSU had it over the summer, Wisconsin and OSU literally are going to have their seasons canceled because they couldn't keep enough people healthy. Jim is a shit coach now. The program sucks. But I at least appreciate that Harbaugh and the program understand and value the health of human beings enough to take the precautions necessary to keep the team safe. This season never should've happened, but if enough teams took health as seriously as Michigan and PSU did, they maybe could've pulled it off
November 30th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
Agree... As for this work stoppage - its a shutdown based on a couple of presumptive positives! This is the only way to contain the spread if they turn out to be real positives. IMO, it's great move meant to keep everyone else healthy. Perhaps, had OSU and Wisconsin done the same thing at first glance of positive test results, they wouldn't be staring 'ineligible' in the eye...
November 30th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Exactly! You have teams like Michigan voluntarily pausing practice due to possible positives, meanwhile you have Saban testing positive and saying "let me test again" until he gets a negative. OSU is trying to field a team even though their entire team is going through an outbreak
Genius man Mullen said he wanted 90,000 in the stands a day before he tested positive
This season was a complete failure by everybody involved. Most teams, all conferences, and especially the worthless NCAA
November 30th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
Yes, because it's always the coach's responsibility for every action taken by the hundred plus people associated with this team every day.
Michigan got thru the vast majority of a season without a positive test in the team. It might still be the case. But sure, be angry
November 30th, 2020 at 11:36 AM ^
Harbaugh's final middle finger to Ohio State: cancelling The Game next week due to COVID, disqualifying OSU from the Big Ten Title game and the playoff*.
*Granted 2016 proved a team can make the playoff without winning the division, so maybe not.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
My fear would be that OSU scores a TD on every possession in this year's game against our guys.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
I've had the sneaking suspicion for the past several weeks that The Game on 12/12 won't happen. Things are increasingly pointing in that direction.
November 30th, 2020 at 2:15 PM ^
Do you even get any enjoyment at this time of a NC caliber team destroying whatever the eff is going on in AA right now? It would be like playing a HS team. If anything that sort of destruction only gives fuel to the fire for redemption. I think this one is best off not played for all parties to be honest.
November 30th, 2020 at 3:12 PM ^
This season should never have been played. At any given moment in time, the correct decision would be to shut down the year for all teams.
That being said, given that the season is being played, Ohio State fans are (justifiably) sad that they are missing so many games from the greatest QB to play in their program, ever. Literally, ever. They're also (justifiably) sad that it's looking almost impossible for them to make the playoffs, in a year that they have a decent chance to win it all, a year after being the victim of a pretty epic screw job by the officials in the semifinals.
I mean, neither of these considerations means squat in the grand scheme of things; but their desire to play UM is understandable, even if they sympathize with Michigan's current situation and don't want to pile on.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
1) OSU was better last year than this year and blew it against Clemson.
2) They have a chance to win it every year anyways.
3) If you’ve watched Bama play this year, it’s pretty clear who the best team in the country is.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
Do you even get any enjoyment at this time of a NC caliber team destroying whatever the eff is going on in AA right now?
Yes. Absolutely, yes.
Besides, OSU's not NC caliber this season. Offensively, yes. But if OSU does make the playoff I see ND as the only major candidate (i.e. not Bama/Clemson/Florida) that won't shred OSU's pass defense.
November 30th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^
Yes. Absolutely, yes.
You know for sure how you'll feel until you're in that situation. But, I feel like I'd actually feel bad for OSU if they were what UM is right now. I can't imagine taking enjoyment in a rivalry that is this far apart. It's like beating up your younger sister...yeah she pisses you off, but she's a little girl.
November 30th, 2020 at 8:05 PM ^
She had it coming. /s
I do feel bad for the state that Michigan is in. I would rather OSU beat good Michigan teams instead of crappy Michigan teams.
For example I enjoyed 2018 so much more than 2008. But did I enjoy 2008? Of course I did.
Besides, I lived through the Cooper era, so I'll take any win over Michigan any way any how with any who.
November 30th, 2020 at 9:06 PM ^
Cooper... Those were the days... The Biakabatuka game was my first at the Big House.
December 1st, 2020 at 7:49 AM ^
Besides, I lived through the Cooper era, so I'll take any win over Michigan any way any how with any who.
I just don't picture getting any enjoyment out of beating a crappy team, even if it's a rival. Now, if somehow UM shows up to plays a good game I can see that ala 2014. But, even the Fickell 2011 OSU team or the Cooper teams were still very good. UM was beating good teams in good games. OSU is gonna crush a shitty team in an ugly game. After you punch someone in the face and they start crying it's not very enjoyable when there is no fight in them.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
The season will be a success if the administration has learned enough from this debacle to move on from Harbaugh.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^
Yes! Stop the season now please.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Looks like I might be getting my Christmas wish (not playing an Ohio state university) early!
November 30th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
on closer thought, would firing Harbaugh count as a "team activity"?
November 30th, 2020 at 11:50 AM ^
On rivals they have a graphic that says as of Nov 27 (Friday) there were 8 athletes and 1 staff testing positive. I assume that is across all sports. Also, was reported that at that time no football players had tested positive so this may well be extra caution because there is spread in the athletic department.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
I hope the positive COVID for both planers and staff will not cause any harm to them.
More "breaking news" in store at the presser and perhaps in a few days announcing this Saturday's game will be cancelled.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for no more games this dreadful season.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
Two things.
1. Those games (OSU / Ill and Wisc / Minn) were supposed to be last weekend, not this coming weekend.
2. Really shows you were things are at that my gut reaction to this was, "ok, that might be the best option at this point."
November 30th, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
All of the players nationally who opted out for this season made the right call.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
Yup. Hard to blame Collins and Ambry when Hutchinson, Paye, and Mayfield just hurt their stock. People were salty Jabrill never played in his bowl games, but he at least is an NFL captain who gets PAID and Jake Butt still can't stay healthy 5 years after his Orange Bowl injury wiped out his draft stock
November 30th, 2020 at 12:23 PM ^
Today I see Penix at Indiana is injured for the remainder...
November 30th, 2020 at 12:29 PM ^
I don't like anything you said there, but I have to agree with all of it. Have an upvote.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:31 PM ^
How was it the right call to play zero games? If they were willing to come back for their senior season six months ago why didn't they play for it?
November 30th, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
Good to see Michigan is finally playing chess instead of checkers
November 30th, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
Let's say you can get to a final, and then that has to be be cancelled? Nice.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
Let's cancel the season, stop ruining my Saturdays, and screw OSU in the process
November 30th, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
Get well. Be well.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
Who could've anticipated these issues when trying to play through a pandemic?
Anyone without their head up their ass saw this coming. Anyone else remember Orgeron saying, "I think most of them have had it, I just hope they can play."? That's the state of college football.
How many tests are being burned up so privileged people can play games (the NBA is going to test everyone every day), when people who actually need them have to wait days to get tested, and days after that to get results?
This is on the NCAA. They have let coaches run around with screen-door masks (Saban and others), and given them passes for the fucking stupid way Harbaugh (giant mic under it) and Brown (only on his chin) have been wearing them. They had a chance to set a good example and instead they were selfish shitheads.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
NCAA has confirmed time and time again they are a useless entity. They operate as a non-profit despite getting millions and millions to run March Madness and other tournaments and determine eligibility for players. I have no idea what their excuse was for not having to make standards this season, as they clearly washed their hands of the whole situation by saying "fuck it, this year doesn't count for eligibility" which, btw, is going to result in AWFUL attrition and kids getting screwed over. It's something that will have to be dealt with for the next 3-4 years by each individual football program
Fuck the NCAA
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