Ad Disclosure
Paul Finebaum on Graham Mertz’s positive virus test: ‘The B1G had to make a deal with the devil’
Published:
Less than 48 hours after he was done tying the bow on an incredible opening performance on Friday night, Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz had a positive COVID-19 test result. If the test is confirmed, Mertz will miss a minimum of 21 days due to B1G policy.
Mertz completed 20-of-21 pass attempts for 248 yards with 5 touchdown passes in Wisconsin’s convincing 45-7 victory over Illinois in the B1G opener. He was the talk of the weekend, but the conversation shifted from his incredible performance in his first start with the Badgers to his potential 3-week absence.
On Monday morning, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said that we’re getting a taste of the problem with the B1G’s policy early in the year.
“And this is the problem. The B1G had to make a deal with the devil to come back. Not to rehash all this history, but these presidents decided that ‘if we’re going to come back, we’re going to make it tough,'” Finebaum said on JOX’s RoundTable. “That would just be an unbelievable casualty of this. And it would also make you wonder how the B1G is going to get to the finish line. I’m not saying they won’t, I don’t have any earthly idea what the next 6-8 weeks are going to look like around the country, but man, that would really be tough. Wisconsin looked legit the other night.”
Wisconsin is still awaiting a confirmation on the positive result.
If Mertz’s test is a confirmed positive, the B1G requires that he sit out 21 days before a return to competition. Not only is the B1G monitoring the COVID-19 virus, but it’s also taking precautions with potential heart issues that could arise for student-athletes.
The Badgers are scheduled to make a trip to Nebraska next weekend.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB