Coronavirus: Minnesota Gopher Game Against Northwestern Canceled

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Golden Gophers will not play their scheduled Dec. 5 game against Northwestern due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak among Minnesota players and staff. The game will not be rescheduled and has been ruled a no contest, consistent with the Big Ten policy on COVID-19.

All team-related activities for Minnesota have been paused since Nov. 24, when the outbreak was confirmed.

The Northwestern game is the second consecutive game that has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak among Minnesota's football team. The Gopher game against Wisconsin was also canceled last week, ending the rivalry's streak going back 130 years. Until 2020, Minnesota and Wisconsin have played once a year since 1890.

The decision to cancel the Northwestern game was made by Director of Athletics Mark Coyle, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel and Gopher Athletics' Medical Director Dr. Brad Nelson after discussing the situation with officials from the Big Ten.

"The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff continues to be our main priority," Coyle said in a statement. "The last couple of days have shown a decrease in positive cases, but not to the point where we are able to return to competition. We are disappointed not to be able to compete against Northwestern on Saturday, but we need to continue to focus on following all CDC and MDH guidelines and slow the spread of the virus. We will now shift our priority to doing everything possible to compete at Nebraska on December 12, and our decisions will continue to be guided by our medical experts."

Minnesota Gophers' COVID-19 outbreak

• The Minnesota Gophers paused all team-related activities Nov. 24 after 15 individuals, including nine players and six staff members, tested positive for COVID-19
• 10 more positive tests, including three players and seven staff members, were confirmed Nov. 25
• Another 15 positive tests, including eight players and seven staff members, were announced Nov. 28.
• Since Nov. 19, 47 positive cases — including 21 players and 26 staff members — were confirmed on Minnesota's football team

Minnesota Athletics says it's working with the Minnesota Department of Health on its positive cases and is following all CDC and MDH guidelines.

The Gophers are scheduled to play at Nebraska Dec. 12.