Auburn head coach tests positive for COVID

Auburn head coach Brian Harsin has done what a lot of people in his chosen state have done: Tested positive for COVID-19.

Harsin, who has done very little to encourage people to get vaccinated – unlike Alabama head coach Nick Saban – has long been going on about how it’s a ‘personal decision‘.

Now, with the season just a couple of weeks away, Harsin’s Tigers squad has taken a beating in terms of numbers with players out for contact tracing, amid an outbreak in a squad that has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the SEC. In late July it was just 60%. Good luck to those who continue with it and get very, very ill. In a state that’s run out of ICU beds, this could be very poor decision-making.

“As we have navigated through the pandemic, contingency plans have been in place should a situation like this arise,” Harsin said in a statement. “We prepared for this. Coach Jeff Schmedding will assume in-person head coaching duties and I will continue to participate remotely in meetings and practice. Just like in a game, teams that handle adversity and make necessary adjustments are those that are most successful. I have full confidence in our coaching staff and team. I know they will continue to prepare with the same intensity and focus that they have since camp started.”

And at SEC Media Days when he was asked about the low vaccination rates, Harsin merely replied that his team is ‘improved’ on that front, but wouldn’t give further detail.

We can only hope that karma doesn’t come and bite him where it hurts.