UTEP postpones football practices after 4 players contract coronavirus

EL PASO, Texas — UTEP athletic officials said Sunday that football practices were postponed indefinitely after four players tested positive for the coronavirus.

The decision was disappointing for Miners head football coach Dana Dimel, who said he and the team had been anxious to get ready for what appeared to be a shortened season with some non-conference games unlikely to happen.

“We can’t wait to resume preparations for our fall season, but safety comes first,” he said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

Tests were administered to the entire team and coaching staff on Thursday in a proactive move, UTEP said. The test results came back over the weekend.

The infected athletes and their roommates were placed on 14-day quarantine as of Saturday, the university said, noting that none showed any virus symptoms.

In addition, athletic officials said the remainder of the team and staff were placed on a 5-day precautionary quarantine at the advice of medical staff.

The university said the team would be re-tested this coming Wednesday and those results would guide its decision-making on when to allow practices to begin.