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Baylor Football

Update: Waco official tells SicEm365 the city had no involvement in postponement decision

September 19, 2020
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Updated Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 at 2:41 p.m. CT.

Less than 24 hours ahead of a football contest between Baylor University and the University of Houston scheduled for Saturday inside McLane Stadium, the game was postponed because of COVID-19 concerns, sources tell SicEm365.

According to a source close to the Baylor program, the Bears would have been without a significant portion of a single position group making it unsafe to play. That information was the driving factor behind the cancellation which correlates with the Big 12 protocols that have several specific personnel thresholds a team must meet for certain position groups as well as the entire roster. 

Big 12 teams must have at least 53 players available to play, a minimum of seven offensive linemen and four interior defensive linemen, and at least a single quarterback. Baylor Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades told SicEm365 on Friday afternoon that Baylor did not meet the threshold for one of the specific positions, but did not confirm which position.  

Following the original report on Friday afternoon, SicEm365 spoke with an official from the City of Waco who confirmed it was not a local government decision that postponed the game, citing that because Baylor University is as a private institution, they do not have jurisdiction over the Big 12 program.

The official also clarified that Waco had merely adopted CDC and state protocols and not implemented their own, meaning any protocols that Baylor might be following were not from the local level. Baylor was and continues to be responsible for conducting their own contact tracing, according to the official, not the city.

According to the CDC website, “state and local public health officials will decide how to implement” guidelines put forth by the CDC and are also responsible for advising “specific people, or groups of people, to be tested.” 

Even with all of the guidelines put in place in weeks and month prior, the decision to postpone the game came with extreme frustration.

Specifically, the ultimate factor behind the postponement of the game was a result of contact tracing, not positive results of conducted COVID-19 tests on football players and staff members. Because of the guidelines followed, multiple Baylor players were set to miss the game as a direct result of contact tracing and not due to positive COVID-19 tests, the source said.

Several Baylor players that were set to miss the game did not receive a single positive test, and despite also receiving multiple negative tests in the same time frame, were not allowed to return to team activities because of regulations in place for contact tracing.

Big 12 programs are required to test athletes three times during game weeks to best monitor developing cases. Because of the league guideline in place, multiple Baylor players were set to miss the game against Houston despite the potential of having up to six negative COVID-19 tests over the last two weeks.

On Saturday, following the original release of the report, a source close to Baylor Athletics confirmed to SicEm365 that there were instances of players in contact tracing protocols who tested negative multiple times after coming in contact with an individual who had previously tested positive. Those players were not knowingly exposed to any positive testing persons again. 

An additional frustration, according to a source close to Baylor Athletics, comes from the inability to retest athletes who test positive for COVID-19. The inability to retest prevents checking for false-positive results which have been a regular occurrence when testing for the virus.

Per a release on Sept. 14, Baylor’s athletic department has had 88 positive tests across multiple sports since the beginning of June. Of those, six were currently active including two asymptomatic cases and four symptomatic. According to the release, a total of 23 athletes and staff members across all sports were being monitored for potential cases. 

The news comes less than seven days after Big 12 program and the American Athletic Conference program agreed to play in Waco on Saturday. The programs lost games against Louisiana Tech and Memphis over COVID-19 concerns and the mutual open date was utilized to schedule to game. 

Discussion from...

Update: Waco official tells SicEm365 the city had no involvement in postponement decision

63,262 Views | 151 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by RightRevBear
SIC EM 94
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Absolute BS
SoonerFrogs
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lovely
Jacques Strap
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Oso Pardo
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***?!?!
Stranger
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City of Waco leftist politicians and Baylor leftist administration strike again!
I'm a Bearbacker
Mitch Henessey
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This is why we can't have nice things
Shakesbear
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If the contact trace element of exclusion continues, I'm afraid there will not be a season. I just don't see how it would be positive. Everybody knows somebody that has had the Covid.
Retreat Hell! We just got here! The 2/5
whitetrash
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So it appears it's not because of any positive tests, but because there haven't been enough negative tests in the past 2 weeks within the mandated time frames?

How very Californian.
BellCountyBear
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The Left ruins everything.
PaulW74
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This is ridiculous. Even if you don't have the virus, we'll assume you do until you can prove you don't. And that proof won't come until the NCAA says so. This virus isn't going away any time soon, and we can't keep trying to hide from it. By all means, take precautions. But if they're not testing positive, LET THEM PLAY!
SIC EM 94
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Players tested negative...the whole thing is due to contact tracing and Waco regulations.
HuttoBear
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Just curious-- how long has Baylor known this information?
Reservoir Dog
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“It appears that Reservoir Dog is worthy of the lofty honor to be recognized as the first member of this board to post about Molly Miller.” - Gunny
dougl999
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Only positive tests are believed. Negative test don't mean anything.

My kids are home from school because they were in contact with someone that tested positive. My kids have no symptom, tested negative. The positive kid will be back at school 4 days before mine.

Again, only the positive tests are to be believed. Negative tests are not to be trusted.
whitetrash
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"How can anyone do anything more stupid than putting a 'Sensitive Content' warning on a display of American flags as a 9/11 memorial?"

"Hold my beer."
BylrFan
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Seriously? I don't care if there's fans in the stadium, just play the damn game
IASIP Rocks
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To my knowledge, there are no "Waco regulations" or even "Texas regulations" about contact tracing. That is just not something mandated by the government right now. It could be a Baylor or Big 12 protocol, but there's no law about contact tracing.
IowaBear
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Just cancel the season this is officially a joke
BylrFan
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> This decision comes as a result of Baylor not meeting the Big 12 Conference COVID-19 game cancellation thresholds.

Straight from baylor
No Longer Gold
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I don't. Have yet to have someone in "my circle" get it.

I know people that know people, but that's it.

This is crap!

Maybe we can have a game Nov 7th....when all will be magically a non-story.
Northerncoog
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I'm a Houston graduate and had tickets to the game. We are all very disappointed with the outcome but not surprised as there are many anti-Houston sentiments among the Big 12 school in Austin. None I'm in touch with has anything but positives about Baylor and their willingness to schedule. Hopefully we get to try this again sometime.
jdkingbear
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Leftist my ass! Covid has no political affiliation. Go vote for Fat Boy Chump if you wish but don't shovel your BS here.
jdkingbear
BluesBear
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Well, they had to do something to allow the B10 and Pac12 to align with the Championship games.

It continues to amaze me how the "sheep" have not yet woken up to the fact that this all is a hoax. Over 60m Americans were infected with H1N1 when Obama was in office yet we didn't shut down the World.

In fact, only 701 Deaths related solely to Covid 19 can be attributed to anyone under the age 55. Meaning, you are more likely to die in a car accident (1 in 1400) or struck by lightning than you are from Covid.
IowaBear
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The cancel everything norm lives on. What a snowflake world we currently live in
HuttoBear
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Did Baylor not follow protocol? I plead ignorance as to what the problem was.
SIC EM 94
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jdkingbear said:

Leftist my ass! Covid has no political affiliation. Go vote for Fat Boy Chump if you wish but don't shovel your BS here.

Tell that to all the fing leftist clowns trying to blame Trump for Covid.
BearFan33
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Son of a *****!
HuttoBear
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jdkingbear said:

Leftist my ass! Covid has no political affiliation. Go vote for Fat Boy Chump if you wish but don't shovel your BS here.


Fatboy has my vote!

IowaBear
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Looking forward to next Thursday's BREAKING NEWS Baylor vs Kansas postponed due to COVID
texillian
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These are ridiculous high standards to play. Where are these contact tracing thresholds coming from? BigXII?
Dia del DougO
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Cancel the whole freakin' season. At least maybe I can get to a game next year...slim chance anyway.
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
CTbruin
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Stranger said:

City of Waco leftist politicians and Baylor leftist administration strike again!


It time (past time) for a change in leadership. We are already losing some heavy donors due to current "leadership ".
Big12Bear
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TrustTheProcess said:

Well, they had to do something to allow the B10 and Pac12 to align with the Championship games.

It continues to amaze me how the "sheep" have not yet woken up to the fact that this all is a hoax. Over 60m Americans were infected with H1N1 when Obama was in office yet we didn't shut down the World.

In fact, only 701 Deaths related solely to Covid 19 can be attributed to anyone under the age 55. Meaning, you are more likely to die in a car accident (1 in 1400) or struck by lightning than you are from Covid.
And if you die in said car accident with the virus, it'll count as a Covid death.
whitetrash
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Published conference thresholds are:

53 total players available (including walkons)

7 offensive linemen
4 defensive linemen
1 quarterback

no mention of any other minimums for positions

So apparently it's one of these groups, and I'm guessing it's not Charlie & Co.

https://big12sports.com/news/2020/9/4/big-12-football-game-cancellation-thresholds-established.aspx
BU-ME-08
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Ok, how is it most of the other Big12 schools are finding a way to make it work! Figure it out
 
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