A Bunch of Alabama Football Players Just Tested Positive for COVID-19 and That’s Concerning

The NCAA recently announced that certain teams are now permitted to return to their respective campuses in order to begin socially distanced workouts. One of the fears of bringing students back to campus in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, is the question of what exactly would happen if a student-athlete is found to have contracted the virus.

For Alabama football, this potential problem is now an uncomfortable reality. According to a Thursday report from BamaInsider, at least five players within the program have tested positive for COVID-19.

This is not the news you want to hear coming out of Nick Saban’s proud, historic program. With hopes of starting the college football season on time, keeping student-athletes healthy is the utmost priority. If such a thing is not possible, then the season itself becomes at risk.

Luckily, this was caught during the offseason. Just imagine what would happen if something like this came about during the actual season once fall comes around.

While it's encouraging to hear that student-athletes are returning for voluntary workouts, the main concern still lingers as to how to maintain the health of players, coaches, and essential staff while holding something approaching a full season. With a handful of Crimson Tide players testing positive for COVID-19 already, this is not a good first step in that direction.