Some facts and some speculation about what went down regarding UH, Memphis, the AAC, and Baylor.
For Cougar fans, Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon was about as interesting a 24-hour stretch as you can have without playing a game. With several twists and turns, a minor leak to a radio station morphed into UH vs. Baylor for the first time in 25 years.
How did it happen?
What I know – ESPN 97.5’s Joel Blank shared information that Memphis had 20+ COVID positives and suggested that the Memphis game might not be played.
Houston radio station ESPN 97.5 FM says Memphis football team has 20-plus players test positive for Covid-19, speculates Sept. 18 game against Houston may be in doubt
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) September 11, 2020
That nugget caught everyone by surprise, even this Memphis beat writer:
FWIW I’ve been told this is not in fact true https://t.co/m7oDKAkERj
— Jonah Jordan (@_JonahJordan) September 11, 2020
Two hours later, the Memphis Commercial Appeal revealed that “at least another 20” people were in quarantine. I’ve been told the “at least another 20” is closer to 30.
What I think – With the spotlight brighter than ever, there’s no way that a program with 50 or more people quarantined could play a football game seven days later.
Beyond that, my initial thoughts posted to social media are probably incorrect.
The Coogs will now kick off the season…at some point. Maybe, perhaps.
With 20 players diagnosed and 20+ in quarantine, Memphis had no interest in playing this game. UH was likely nudged by the league to 'agree' to postponing it. #GoCoogs
— GoCoogs.com (@gocoogs1) September 12, 2020
I now believe someone associated with UH leaked to 97.5 about Memphis’ positive tests. And for good reason…
Widget not in any sidebars
