TEMPE, Ariz. — After Arizona State's football game against California on Saturday was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests from players, staffers and head coach Herm Edwards, their game against Colorado next week has been canceled as well.
ASU AD Ray Anderson released a statement on Sunday announcing the cancellation, part of which is below:
"We regrettably have to invoke the Pac-12's football game cancellation policy for this week's game at Colorado due to positive COVID-19 cases among student-athletes and staff," Anderson wrote. "The cancellation of another game is very difficult to accept for all of us, but it continues to be the right decision under the circumstances. The health, safety and welfare of our student-athletes is our number one priority and will continue to be at the forefront of every decision."
ASU will now look ahead to their home opener on Nov. 28 against Utah.
ASU had announced Friday that multiple student athletes on the football team and head coach Herm Edwards tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of ASU's game against Cal on Saturday.
Going into the weekend, it was expected the game against Cal could be canceled because several Cal players remain in quarantine due to contact tracing related to one positive case of COVID-19 on the Cal roster.
Cal's game last week on the first weekend of Pac-12 football this year was canceled due to COVID-19 as well.
However, ASU AD Ray Anderson said on Friday in a statement that ASU has multiple positive COVID-19 cases, including head coach Herm Edwards.
"In the past few days our test results included a number of positive cases, including multiple student-athletes and coaching staff members, one of which is Head Coach Herm Edwards," Anderson said in a statement.
"This put our team below the Pac-12's minimum threshold of 53 available scholarship student-athletes under the league's game cancellation policy. After consultation with our medical advisors and Coach Edwards, we immediately began a conversation with the Pac-12 office and California Athletics Director Jim Knowlton to make them aware of the situation."
"We will continue to monitor our testing results and stay in close communication with our University, local public health officials and the Pac-12 Conference."
Edwards released a statement saying he and his wife Lia and their daughters are doing well.
"First, I want to say that Lia, the girls and I are fine and I will be back quicker than you can say 'Forks Up!' Second, even with the marvelous care our medical professionals have provided for myself, my staff and my team over the past few months the virus still found me," Edwards said. "So, I encourage all of you to take this virus seriously, to wear a mask, practice physical distancing and get tested whenever possible."
"As I've stated many times over, the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is absolutely paramount and we will not put them at risk. Our team has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and even played a game last weekend. We will continue to care for our students-athletes and follow all protocols very thoroughly as we prepare for our next game. Our team and coaching staff are disappointed, but we do understand what we are dealing with."
A handful of college football games across the country are canceled this week. Two games in the Pac-12 were canceled last week.
Arizona State is 0-1 on the year after a heartbreaking loss at USC 28-27 last week, a game the Sun Devils led by 13 points with just minutes to go.
This is a developing story. We will update with new information as it becomes available.