Yahoo Finance Kansas coach Les Miles cleared to travel after COVID-19 diagnosis but won't go to West Virginia
Kansas coach Les Miles is able to travel with the Jayhawks to West Virginia for Saturday’s game but is choosing to stay in Lawrence.
Miles announced last week that he had tested positive for coronavirus. He’s been cleared to travel with the team but doesn’t want to take any chances with the virus.
“[Thursday] I received clearance from Kansas Team Health to travel with our football team to Morgantown,” Miles said in a statement. “I am very grateful for the high level of care that I have received throughout my time since I tested positive for COVID-19 early last week. I continue to feel healthy and strong, and was fortunate to only have mild symptoms.
“However, after much consideration and several in-depth conversations with the medical team, our coaching staff, and Kansas Athletics administration, I have made the difficult decision to not make the trip to West Virginia. While my 10-day isolation window was completed this morning, there is too much still unknown about this virus for me to feel 100 percent confident that I won’t transmit it to someone who comes into close contact with me on the team charter, hotel or at the game Saturday.”
Miles, 66, was the fourth coach to publicly reveal an in-season positive COVID-19 test when he said he had tested positive. Alabama coach Nick Saban became the fifth on Wednesday when he said that he had tested positive for the virus. Saban is set to be at home for No. 2 Alabama’s game vs. No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.
Kansas said that assistant coach Josh Eargle would coach the Jayhawks in Miles’ absence. Kansas team doctor Larry Magee said in a statement that Miles would be rejoining the team on Sunday.
Miles is in his second season coaching the Jayhawks. Kansas is 0-3 in 2020 and is a three-touchdown underdog to the Mountaineers.
In addition to Miles and Saban, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Arkansas State’s Blake Anderson and Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin have said they tested positive for the virus since the 2020 college football season began over Labor Day weekend. Norvell has been the only coach to miss a game because of a coronavirus diagnosis, though that will change on Saturday.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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