Vanderbilt announced Friday night that the football team’s practice that was scheduled for Friday morning was canceled and all football activities have been halted because of positive tests for the coronavirus.

Vanderbilt officials did not disclose the number of positive tests, and a prepared statement from the Vandy athletic department referenced only “a small number of positive COVID-19 test results.”

The Commodores are the first SEC team reported to have stopped activities since preseason practices began this week around the conference.

Here is the full statement:

“We temporarily paused football activities and cancelled Friday morning’s practice after being made aware of a small number of positive COVID-19 test results within our program. The results were determined through our ongoing testing procedures, which are among a number of prevention protocols we have in place to protect the health and safety of our student-athletes and our larger community.

“The student-athletes that tested positive for COVID-19 have been placed in isolation per the university’s protocols. Everyone is working closely with our Public Health Command Center and other health officials to identify close contacts and ensure that they are not interacting with others on campus or in the Nashville community.

“We will continue to follow our safety guidelines and implement additional measures as necessary while we look forward to resuming team activities.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Alex Hugo, a former All-American softball player for the Georgia Bulldogs, has gone on to play for the USA Baseball Women's National Team. She’ll also participate in Home Run Derby X during 2025 All-Star Week in Atlanta. (Photo courtesy of USA Baseball)

Credit: Photo courtesy of USA Baseball

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC