At least 40 Michigan players were expected to miss the game because of either a COVID-19 positive test, contact tracing or an unrelated injury
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played every year since 1918.
The story from the Detroit Free Press:
Michigan football cancels Ohio State game as COVID-19 cases increase
Orion Sang and David Jesse
Detroit Free Press
Dec 8,. 2020
For the first time in more than 100 years, "The Game" will not be played.
Michigan football canceled Saturday's rivalry game with Ohio State because of "an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and student-athletes in quarantine over the past week," the program announced Tuesday.
At least 40 players were expected to miss the game because of either a COVID-19 positive test, contact tracing or an unrelated injury, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on Tuesday. The program received multiple positive COVID-19 test results on Monday, one of the sources said, and the program is expecting the number to rise.
“The number of positive tests has continued to trend in an upward direction over the last seven days,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in a released statement. “We have not been cleared to participate in practice at this time. Unfortunately, we will not be able to field a team due to COVID-19 positives and the associated quarantining required of close-contact individuals. This decision is disappointing for our team and coaches but their health and safety is paramount, and it will always come first in our decision-making.”
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played every year since 1918.
Harbaugh and Manuel are scheduled to address the media at 4 p.m., along with program medical director Dr. Sami Rifat and chief medical officer Darryl Conway
Michigan was forced to shut down all football activities last week due to a COVID-19 outbreak that infected at least a dozen members of the program, sources told the Free Press on Friday. There was pessimism at that time that Saturday's game would be played, as more COVID-19 positive tests were expected, sources said.
The Wolverines canceled last Saturday's game against Maryland because of the outbreak. And although they returned to "limited workouts" on Monday, the virus was too widespread to play against Ohio State on Saturday.
The cancellation comes as Michigan weighs Jim Harbaugh's future with the program. The Wolverines have slumped to a 2-4 record that includes a loss to heavy underdog Michigan State, their first loss to Indiana since 1987 and a loss to winless Penn State.
Michigan is 0-3 at Michigan Stadium this season, and Harbaugh is 0-5 as a coach against Ohio State.
Harbaugh's contract is set to expire after the 2021 season, and negotiations for a new deal are underway, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told the Free Press on Monday night.
According to the source, who spoke to the Free Press on condition of anonymity because the contract negotiations have not been made public, Harbaugh and Manuel are discussing a deal that would reduce Harbaugh's annual salary but give him more financial incentives for winning. The reported deal also would decrease the buyout figure in Harbaugh's contract, making it easier to fire him, but also would give him more money to hire assistant coaches.
Harbaugh has been under fire this season for Michigan's declining play. After marching in Ann Arbor in September in protest of the Big Ten's decision to postpone the start of season, the Wolverines have struggled to find success on the field.
The struggles have made Harbaugh, whose $7.79 million salary is fourth-highest in the nation, an easy target for critics. Just last week, the cancellation of the Maryland game prompted ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit to float the idea that U-M would wave the "white flag" and avoid playing the Buckeyes this season.
Ohio State needs to play a sixth Big Ten game to qualify for next week's Big Ten championship game. And Herbstreit's comments fueled conspiracies that suggested the Wolverines would try to roadblock Ohio State's path.
In a stern rebuke to those accusations, Manuel said Wednesday, "I have to pause because my words, the anger, I was infuriated by the insinuation that Michigan would do anything other than play a football game. We’ve been playing this game since 1879. We’re the winningest program for a reason, because we play whoever’s in front of us. The only way we want to keep anybody from moving on is to beat them on the field."
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played every year since 1918.
The story from the Detroit Free Press:
Michigan football cancels Ohio State game as COVID-19 cases increase
Orion Sang and David Jesse
Detroit Free Press
Dec 8,. 2020
For the first time in more than 100 years, "The Game" will not be played.
Michigan football canceled Saturday's rivalry game with Ohio State because of "an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and student-athletes in quarantine over the past week," the program announced Tuesday.
At least 40 players were expected to miss the game because of either a COVID-19 positive test, contact tracing or an unrelated injury, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on Tuesday. The program received multiple positive COVID-19 test results on Monday, one of the sources said, and the program is expecting the number to rise.
“The number of positive tests has continued to trend in an upward direction over the last seven days,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in a released statement. “We have not been cleared to participate in practice at this time. Unfortunately, we will not be able to field a team due to COVID-19 positives and the associated quarantining required of close-contact individuals. This decision is disappointing for our team and coaches but their health and safety is paramount, and it will always come first in our decision-making.”
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played every year since 1918.
Harbaugh and Manuel are scheduled to address the media at 4 p.m., along with program medical director Dr. Sami Rifat and chief medical officer Darryl Conway
Michigan was forced to shut down all football activities last week due to a COVID-19 outbreak that infected at least a dozen members of the program, sources told the Free Press on Friday. There was pessimism at that time that Saturday's game would be played, as more COVID-19 positive tests were expected, sources said.
The Wolverines canceled last Saturday's game against Maryland because of the outbreak. And although they returned to "limited workouts" on Monday, the virus was too widespread to play against Ohio State on Saturday.
The cancellation comes as Michigan weighs Jim Harbaugh's future with the program. The Wolverines have slumped to a 2-4 record that includes a loss to heavy underdog Michigan State, their first loss to Indiana since 1987 and a loss to winless Penn State.
Michigan is 0-3 at Michigan Stadium this season, and Harbaugh is 0-5 as a coach against Ohio State.
Harbaugh's contract is set to expire after the 2021 season, and negotiations for a new deal are underway, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told the Free Press on Monday night.
According to the source, who spoke to the Free Press on condition of anonymity because the contract negotiations have not been made public, Harbaugh and Manuel are discussing a deal that would reduce Harbaugh's annual salary but give him more financial incentives for winning. The reported deal also would decrease the buyout figure in Harbaugh's contract, making it easier to fire him, but also would give him more money to hire assistant coaches.
Harbaugh has been under fire this season for Michigan's declining play. After marching in Ann Arbor in September in protest of the Big Ten's decision to postpone the start of season, the Wolverines have struggled to find success on the field.
The struggles have made Harbaugh, whose $7.79 million salary is fourth-highest in the nation, an easy target for critics. Just last week, the cancellation of the Maryland game prompted ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit to float the idea that U-M would wave the "white flag" and avoid playing the Buckeyes this season.
Ohio State needs to play a sixth Big Ten game to qualify for next week's Big Ten championship game. And Herbstreit's comments fueled conspiracies that suggested the Wolverines would try to roadblock Ohio State's path.
In a stern rebuke to those accusations, Manuel said Wednesday, "I have to pause because my words, the anger, I was infuriated by the insinuation that Michigan would do anything other than play a football game. We’ve been playing this game since 1879. We’re the winningest program for a reason, because we play whoever’s in front of us. The only way we want to keep anybody from moving on is to beat them on the field."
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.
Michigan football cancels Ohio State game as COVID-19 cases increase
The Michigan Wolverines have canceled Saturday's game against the Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time on over 100 years in the football rivalry.
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