UTEP COVID Problems

[Coach Bill Lewis]

Rice required UTEP's football team be COVID tested upon arrival in Houston instead of before they left El Paso.  Head Coach Dana Dimel  agreed to that months ago. The team was tested upon arrival in H-Town, and then the game got cancelled.  The players who failed their test had to take a bus 1000 miles back to El Paso.  Sad!

https://twitter.com/AndyMorganTV/status/...4057965572

 

[UNTLifer]

12 hours ago, Coach Bill Lewis said:

Rice required UTEP's football team be COVID tested upon arrival in Houston instead of before they left El Paso.  Head Coach Dana Dimel  agreed to that months ago. The team was tested upon arrival in H-Town, and then the game got cancelled.  The players who failed their test had to take a bus 1000 miles back to El Paso.  Sad!

https://twitter.com/AndyMorganTV/status/...4057965572

 

So, they flew to Houston but didn't book a return trip?

[BillySee58]

3 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

So, they flew to Houston but didn't book a return trip?

Only the players who failed were bussed back to El Paso. Rest of the team took the return flight back.

[UNT 90 Grad]

I’m assuming it was a chartered flight.  

[Big Z]

1 hour ago, BillySee58 said:

Only the players who failed were bussed back to El Paso. Rest of the team took the return flight back.

Was it a school bus that they had to ride back in?

[greenjoe]

This is especially disturbing since it’s 750 miles from Houston to El Paso.

[meangreen11]

This is extremely disturbing if true.

[97and03]

15 hours ago, greenjoe said:

This is especially disturbing since it’s 750 miles from Houston to El Paso.

On a completely unrelated note, there might be some Miners in the portal soon! 

[VideoEagle]

20 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

So, they flew to Houston but didn't book a return trip?

I can't find where I read it, but Rice had strongly suggested months ago UTEP test players BEFORE the flight and Coach DimwIt refused. UTEP could not knowingly put COVID infected people on an airplane with uninfected people - that's just TRYING to spread the infection! Putting sick kids on a bus for who knows how long is bad, but the other choice is worse. It's also a lot cheaper to rent a bus and have it throughly cleaned. I wouldn't want to be the driver on that bus! 

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, VideoEagle said:

I can't find where I read it, but Rice had strongly suggested months ago UTEP test players BEFORE the flight and Coach DimwIt refused. UTEP could not knowingly put COVID infected people on an airplane with uninfected people - that's just TRYING to spread the infection! Putting sick kids on a bus for who knows how long is bad, but the other choice is worse. It's also a lot cheaper to rent a bus and have it throughly cleaned. I wouldn't want to be the driver on that bus! 

Oh, I thoroughly agree, mainly with you calling Dimel by the name of Coach Dimwit.  If the shoe fits...

[El Paso Eagle]

Comments from UTEP's AD

"On Friday, November 27, upon our arrival in Houston, everyone in the UTEP travel party received a COVID-19 PCR test. We received the results on Saturday morning, and learned that one of our student-athletes tested positive for the virus. Following consultation with Rice Athletics officials, and at their recommendation, we agreed to do a rapid antigen test of everyone in our travel party. The antigen test can pick up traces of the COVID-19 virus and numerous flu strains. Ten of the antigen tests came back positive. Upon receiving the test results, both schools mutually agreed that we would not play the game.

"This morning, we administered PCR tests to everyone in the travel party, except for the student-athlete who tested positive on Friday. The PCR test is recognized as the 'gold standard' of COVID testing. We have received the results, and all 10 of the individuals who tested positive with the antigen tests on Saturday tested negative today. The challenges associated with false positives with antigen tests have been widely publicized. The false positives we experienced illustrate the problem with antigen tests as a tool for decision making for athletics competition. We are working with our team doctors, sports medicine professionals, and campus officials to plan our return to practice and play for the football program."