USC football player tests positive for COVID-19, coach Clay Helton says

A USC football player tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Trojans coach Clay Helton said Tuesday. The unnamed player traveled with the team to Salt Lake City for Saturday’s game against Utah, but did not participate in team activities Sunday or Monday.

The individual was symptomatic and quarantined.

USC Student Health, the Utah athletic department and the Pac-12 have been notified and the Los Angeles County Department of Health was to be informed later Tuesday. Helton said further information would be provided regarding additional test results and contact tracing.

The player tested negative three times over a 36-hour span, including before Saturday’s game. No other Trojans tested positive, according to Helton, who also said he would have a virtual meeting with the team to discuss the positive test later Tuesday.

No. 19 USC is scheduled to host unranked Colorado on Saturday at the Coliseum. L.A. County guidelines call for anyone who comes into contact with a person who tests positive to be isolated for 14 days. In addition to Saturday’s game, USC also plays Washington State on Dec. 4 at the Coliseum.

As of Tuesday morning, no decision has been made about playing Saturday’s game.

County health authorities must perform contact tracing first.

“We’re going to seek guidance,” Helton said during a Zoom call with reporters. “We lean on our medical professionals. This is not a coach decision. They do their contact tracing study and we’ll lean on their guidance and see what they say. I really can’t give you any other information right now.”

In August, eight unnamed athletes among the football and men’s water polo teams tested positive for COVID-19 and activities for both sports were halted. USC said at the time that contact tracing indicated the positive cases stemmed off campus and not from athletic training.

No members of the football coaching staff have tested positive.

“We’ve been here (working out at USC) since July 6 and I’ve got to credit their discipline and their sacrifice they have made as well as thank our university, our athletic and university leadership for the resources they’ve given us,” Helton said.

“From the housing to the food to the protocols, to how we travel and to the hotels, just everything is so first class and done the right way. We’re testing so many times, but it provides the most accurate and current information to keep us as safe as possible. I want to thank the university leaders.”

Seven games in the Pac-12 have been canceled because of positive tests so far. Two games have been canceled in each of the first three weeks of the conference’s shortened six-game season. As of Tuesday, USC, UCLA, Oregon and Oregon State were the only schools with a chance to play all six.

Colorado’s game last Saturday against Arizona State was canceled because of COVID-19 cases at ASU. Already this week, the Washington-Washington State game has been canceled. It’s possible some games might be made up during the extra seventh week set aside for such contests on Dec. 19.

Nearly 90 NCAA football games have been canceled or rescheduled because of the coronavirus.

More to come on this story.