In what was a “crushing” decision, the Charlotte 49ers game at 12th-ranked North Carolina on Saturday has been canceled due to a contact tracing quarantine on the 49ers’ offensive line.
According to a statement released by the 49ers, several members of the offensive line are in quarantine following UNC Charlotte’s COVID-19 contact tracing protocols. That effectively decimated the number of offensive linemen the 49ers would have had available for Saturday’s game against the Tar Heels.
“I was hoping that a couple of injured guys may be able to suit up for us,” 49ers coach Will Healy said on the SEC Network’s “Paul Finebaum Show.” “But I didn’t feel good about that. We wanted to do everything humanly possible to play the game, but ultimately we ran out of options.”
49ers athletics director Mike Hill said he made the call to to Bubba Cunningham, his counterpart at UNC, on Thursday morning.
“It’s a crushing decision,” Hill said. “To have to pull the plug has been agonizing. But it’s the right decision.”
The decision came after three positive cases were reported from Charlotte football players over the past two weeks, including one Monday of the 200 Charlotte athletics department athletes, coaches and staff members tested that day. That player’s positive test — and the subsequent contact tracing — caused the cancellation.
Hill confirmed that player also tested negative on Wednesday. Even with the negative test, the player still must remain in quarantine for 14 days.
“You cannot — quote unquote — test out of quarantine,” Hill said. “We have to rely on our medical experts. Our (Conference USA) rules and health guidelines don’t allow for us to permit a negative test to cancel out a positive test. The reason for that is because the 14-day quarantine is designed to allow for potential development of a positive, even very late in the 14-day period.”
Charlotte still plans on playing its home opener on Sept. 26 against Georgia State.
“The ones who were quarantined last week, if they complete their 14-day cycle and don’t demonstrate any positivity in their test results next week, they’ll be able to play,” Hill said. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that we’ll able to do that.”
A source close to the situation but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said none of the three players who tested positive have experienced symptoms.
Members of the 49ers football team, which opened its season last Saturday at Appalachian State, are being tested three times a week, as required by Conference USA. Since June 10, 3,150 tests have been administered to Charlotte athletes, coaches and staff since June 10, with a total of 20 positive cases, a .6% positivity rate.
The 49ers also had a Conference USA game against Old Dominion taken off the schedule on Nov. 14 after ODU canceled all fall sports due to the coronavirus. Hill said he’s hopeful the 49ers will be able to find a game for that date, keeping them with an 11-game schedule. The 49ers have already had nonconference games against Tennessee and Norfolk State canceled. They added the App State and North Carolina games in August as replacements.
The Tar Heels have an open date on Sept. 26, one they’re now hoping to fill.
“We’re disappointed we won’t have a chance to play this weekend, but completely understand and appreciate Charlotte’s transparency,” UNC coach Mack Brown said in a statement. “We were looking forward to competing against Coach Healy’s group. As you know, we’re good friends so I hate this for him and his team. Hopefully, everyone affected is OK and we wish them the best as they move through the season.”
“This certainly is disappointing, especially for the student-athletes on both teams who had prepared hard for this game and were really looking forward to this matchup,” Cunningham said in a statement. “We knew when we decided to play football in this environment that cancellations would be a possibility, because the health and safety of our teams and community is our priority. We are looking at opportunities to add an opponent on Sept. 26.”
The 49ers’ athletics budget will take a hit, as they won’t receive a $400,000 guarantee from North Carolina for the game. Charlotte also lost a $1.3 million guarantee from Tennessee, although it’s not having to pay Norfolk State a $275,000 guarantee.
Several other games around the nation have also been canceled or rescheduled. Virginia Tech has had games against N.C. State and Virginia pushed back. East Carolina’s game against Marshall, originally scheduled Aug. 29, has been postponed twice, with no makeup date announced yet.
———
©2020 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.