Cal’s home football game scheduled for Saturday against USC has been postponed until next month because of additional COVID-19 cases that have left the Bears without enough players to field a team, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.
The Bears were without seven starters and 24 players, including quarterback Chase Garbers, as well as several coaches because of a combination of injuries and COVID protocols over the weekend in a 10-3 loss at Arizona.
Additional players on Tuesday tested positive, according to Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton, who Tuesday night said “it left us with an inability to compete safely.” Knowlton said the new cases were all in the same position group, but the total of players unavailable to practice this week or be cleared in time for the game was simply too great.
The teams announced Tuesday evening that the game has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 4, the day after the Pac-12 championship game. Fans with tickets for Saturday’s game will receive direct communication from Cal Athletics.
It is the first FBS game called off this season because of coronavirus issues. Last season, four of Cal’s eight scheduled games were canceled because of COVID.
Game Update for Cal Football vs USC this Saturday.
full release: https://t.co/xtbBSpE4WI pic.twitter.com/qwvjse8iRY
— Cal Athletics (@CalAthletics) November 9, 2021
“It was a difficult decision,” Knowlton said in a statement earlier Tuesday. “We know how important every one of our games is to our student-athletes, especially our seniors who have been incredible representatives of the program, but it was the right thing to do.
“We have had multiple COVID-19 positives within our program, and we are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread and protect the greater community.”
In the statement, Cal coach Justin Wilcox said, “Postponing this game was a last resort and not an action any of us wanted to take, however it was not possible for us to field a team on Saturday.”
The team reportedly has a 99 percent vaccination rate among players, but Knowlton said Tuesday night that all 24 players who were left home last weekend tested positive, not merely delayed by the process of contract tracing.
Monday night, Garbers tweeted out his and his teammates’ frustration with how the university’s Health Services had handled testing before the Arizona game, saying, the tests are not mandated and should not be required. The senior said, “We have worked too hard to have someone take this all away from us.”
Cal defensive lineman Luc Bequette followed Garbers’ tweet by saying players were told by the UHS they could be arrested for refusing to test as vaccinated individuals with no symptoms.
“If I understand correctly, I can go to San Francisco, steal a bunch of items in a Walgreens, and not be arrested,” Bequette tweeted. “However, if I refuse a test in Berkeley, I can be …
UHS told us we could be arrested for refusing to test as vaccinated individuals with no symptoms. If I understand correctly, I can go to San Francisco, steal a bunch of items in a Walgreens, and not be arrested. However, if I refuse a test in Berkeley, I can be… https://t.co/dfCiELikMi
— Luc Bequette (@LucBequette) November 9, 2021
Knowlton confirmed there was a meeting Monday evening where players were able to talk with Dr. Anna Harte, university health services director, and ask questions about the process.
“It couldn’t be any more confusing when you’re trying to figure out how to do the right thing,” Knowlton said when asked about the players’ social media comments. “I applaud our student-athletes for being vocal and wanting to know what’s going on.”
The Berkeley Health department requires 10 days of quarantine following a positive test regardless of vaccination status. The Berkeley protocols are the most stringent among cities that have Pac-12 campuses. The UC Berkely website says “people infected with the virus (both those who are sick with COVID-19 and those without symptoms) ” should be isolated from people who are not infected for no more than 10 days.
Cal’s next scheduled game is against Stanford on Nov. 20.
There was a chance earlier in the day that Cal might have to forfeit to USC. This summer the conference amended its rules regarding forfeits after not pinning a loss on a team that could not play because of COVID during the 2020 season. But the league also noted that “The Pac-12 rule provides the Commissioner with discretion to determine whether an institution is at fault or primarily at fault for an instability to play a contest based on the facts of the situation.”
Both schools were in agreement that they wanted the game to ultimately be played. Cal (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) has only three remaining games including the USC game and must win all three to become bowl eligible. USC (4-5, 3-4 Pac-12) will reach that threshold with two wins in its final three games, including home games against UCLA and BYU.
USC interim head coach Dante Williams told reporters Tuesday night that, “a forfeit was not the way to go. For them not to get a chance to play would just be a crime.”
Knowlton said he is confident the team will be back to full strength in time for Stanford and Big Game in 11 days.
“I really feel good,” Knowlton said. “We’ve tested every one of our student-athletes three times and we can tell we’re at the back end of this. I’m pretty confident when we kick it off next week and start preparing for Stanford we’re going to be in a great spot.”
Correspondent Jeff Faraudo contributed to this report.
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