As coronavirus cases continue to rise in North Carolina, Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson said he will isolate from his wife, Catherine, when the Demon Deacons open camp July 12 and does not expect to return home until the conclusion of the season.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 1,635 new coronavirus cases in the state, its fourth-highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. There were 13 reported deaths, bringing the state's total to 1,303. Hospitalizations also were up.
Clawson's wife is a breast cancer survivor with a reduced white blood cell count, which puts her at greater risk of contracting the disease and experiencing complications.
Clawson told ESPN on Thursday his wife is cancer-free and in good health, but he did not want to put her at risk.
"When I'm working on a daily basis, coaching 110 to 120 players and having a staff of 50, I don't know how I could go home at night and honestly tell my wife I couldn't have come in contact with [the coronavirus]," Clawson told ESPN. "I love coaching, but I love my wife more. There's no way I'm going to do anything that would put her at risk."
Clawson, who has guided Wake Forest to four consecutive winning seasons, also said several assistant coaches will take similar precautions, and he plans to make all activities voluntary and will honor scholarships is a player chooses to sit out because of coronavirus concerns.
Penn State coach James Franklin said during HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumble" that he plans to isolate from his family during the season because his 12-year-old daughter has sickle cell disease. Franklin's family will remain in Florida during the season.
"There was a lot of tears. There was a lot of emotion having this conversation with my daughters," Franklin said on the program.
James Franklin will coach apart from his family this season https://t.co/NdWds6xSe9
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) June 25, 2020
Clawson's decision is the latest in a series of coronavirus-related news involving high-level college football programs.
Defending national champion LSU confirmed at least 30 players were quarantined after testing positive or coming in contact with an individual who did. At Clemson, 28 athletes tested positive for COVID-19, including 23 football players. Kansas State and Houston put a pause on summer activities. Positive tests were announced at Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State among others.
West Virginia has reported two positive cases.
Second WVU football player tests positive for coronavirus https://t.co/0HJYnYQjkw
— West Virginia Topics (@dubvNOW) June 21, 2020
Pitt, which does not play Wake Forest in 2020, and Penn State have not announced any coronavirus cases.
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