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Saturday’s game between Arizona State and Cal has been called off because the Sun Devils do not have the minimum number of scholarship holders available due to the coronavirus, the Pac-12 announced on Friday.
Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the Arizona state program is head coach Herm Edwards, the school said.
“Over the past few days, our test results have included a number of positive cases, including several student-athletes and coaching staff, including head coach Herm Edwards,” said athletic director of Arizona State Ray Anderson in a statement. “This put our team below the Pac-12 minimum threshold of 53 scholarship student-athletes available under the league’s game cancellation policy.
“After consulting with our medical advisers and Coach Edwards, we immediately struck up a conversation with the Pac-12 office and California athletic director Jim Knowlton to brief them on the situation.
In a statement released by the school, Edwards urged fans to take the virus seriously.
“As I have said time and time again, the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is absolutely paramount and we will not put them at risk,” said Edwards. “Our team has worked really hard to get to this point, and even played a game last weekend. We will continue to take care of our student-athletes and follow all protocols very thoroughly as we prepare for our next game. Our team and coaching staff are disappointed, but we understand what we’re dealing with. “
The game had been in jeopardy all week as Cal was without his entire defensive line due to contact tracing resulting from a positive case early last week. It’s unclear whether Cal, who saw his season opener canceled last week, could have played.
Sources told ESPN that members of the Cal program were increasingly optimistic on Thursday that the team could play, with the possibility of a game on Sunday.
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