Kirby Smart confirms Georgia has had ‘a little bout’ with COVID-19

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Georgia coach Kirby Smart, speaking to reporters Wednesday for the first time since the team arrived in Miami on Sunday for the Orange Bowl, acknowledged that the Bulldogs have been dealing with COVID-19 issues.

“Across the country, you turn on the national news, it’s the lead-in story. You look across the country and the impact it’s had on other games, whether that be NBA, NFL, the bowl games that it’s impacted,” Smart said during an Orange Bowl video conference Wednesday. “It’s certainly had an impact across the country. … We had a little bout the last couple weeks that we lost some guys. We’ve gotten most of those guys back, and really that’s the biggest thing, being at full strength when you have to be, and that’s what we’re aiming towards.”

Smart declined to go into details about which players and/or how many. However, quarterback JT Daniels and wide receiver George Pickens verified on personal social-media posts that they arrived separately from the team late in the day Monday. They were seen dressed out and participating in the Bulldogs’ practice Tuesday at Barry University and are expected to be able to play Friday.

“We really don’t address COVID,” Smart said. “We don’t talk about it with our guys, and we don’t talk about it publicly. It’s kind of been our rule all along that we have. So, not a lot to address there in terms of talking about it because we don’t share that information out.”

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs said they haven’t let surge of the virus cramp their style while in Miami. They’ve had a beach day, went to a dinner on a yacht, went out to eat at a Brazilian steakhouse Tuesday night and have been hanging out in the Bayfront Park area next to the team hotel during free time at night.

“So far, we haven’t had anybody not go to any team events,” junior defensive lineman Travon Walker said. “The Orange Bowl committee has made it safe for us to do all the activities we have taking place. The COVID aspect is affecting everybody in the world, and we’re just being smart with it, wearing our masks, being around the people we’re always around and social distancing.”

Said senior offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer: “COVID’s affecting everybody, and my heart and prayers go out to all the families that have been affected by. But you just have to be safe and make sure you’re taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself and protect your loved ones.”

It’s helps that the CDC has altered its policy to a five-day quarantine for infected individuals from the previous requirement of 10. But, two days from Friday’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff, any players who might test positive at this point would be sidelined for the game.

In the meantime, Smart said UGA has offered boosters to the players and staff four times late in the season. Most of the team – but not all – has received them.

“Ron Courson and his staff have been unbelievable, just awesome,” Smart said of Georgia’s director of sports medicine. “We’ve had protocols in place throughout the year, probably not as strict earlier in the (season) as it was last year with the vaccination and really the low numbers and issues.

“When Ron saw things starting to spike, we increased our sensitivity to that. He’s done a tremendous job of that really prior to the SEC Championship (game). We increased a lot of things around our building and our awareness of our players and understanding what’s going on.”