COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland Football team has canceled its game on Saturday against Michigan State after Head Coach Michael Locksley tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, officials at UMD released on Thursday.
According to the University of Maryland Athletics, the game against Michigan State will not be rescheduled.
Saturday's game is the second straight football game canceled by UMD because of COVID-19. Last week's game against Ohio State was also canceled because eight Terps players tested positive for COIVD-19.
Head Coach Locksley is isolating at home, Maryland Athletics said.
"I am gutted for our team and for our fans," said Locksley. "This team is eager to play and compete and continue the growth we've seen this season. This virus is testing our players and coaches right now, but I have no doubt that we will emerge as a stronger unit for having gone through this together. As for me personally, I am feeling strong, with only minor symptoms. I will continue to lead this program virtually and our game preparations for Indiana will begin immediately."
The department said they will not be releasing the identities of additional student-athletes or staff affected by COVID-19 due to medical privacy. In accordance with health rules, all positive individuals are now in designated isolation spaces.
Over the past week, 15 student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in a Big Ten test positivity rate of 2.8%. There were seven positive cases among staff over that same time period, resulting in a population positivity rate of 14.9%, according to Maryland Athletics.
Big Ten Conference protocol states that any game canceled for the virus will not be made up, which could impact the team on its chances of postseason play or impact what bowl game they could potentially be selected for.
Maryland Football (2-1) has played well this season, which is why the loss of games to the coronavirus may be disappointing for Terps fans. The team has beat Minnesota and Penn State this season. Both teams it lost to by substantially in the 2019 season.
Maryland is one of many teams that have had to shut down games due to COVID-19 contractions. Many games last week had to be canceled across many college athletics conferences.
