Michigan State pushes pause on workouts after staffer tests positive for COVID-19

Michigan State University is hitting the pause button on team workouts after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The school released a statement late Wednesday evening.

Last week, Michigan State announced that three student-athletes tested positive in its most recent round of testing. There was also one staff member who tested positive for the virus, the first the school had reported.

COVID-19 tests were conducted on all staff members over the weekend and a staff member had a positive result. Out of caution, the school has decided to halt workouts temporarily.

“As Michigan State football prepared for the beginning of the 20-hour week, during which student-athletes and staff would be in larger groups than they had been during voluntary workouts or the eight-hour weeks, it conducted surveillance COVID-19 testing on all staff member over the weekend, and previously scheduled surveillance COVID-19 testing on the student-athletes Wednesday afternoon,” the school said. “Late Wednesday afternoon, after testing on student-athletes had been completed, one staff member received a positive result. Michigan State football will pause workouts and will not begin its 20-hour weeks until it receives the complete results from all surveillance testing.”

Last week, Michigan State reported that it had conducted a total of 506 COVID-19 screening and had received just eight positive results.

Dustin Schutte

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