Louisiana football coach Billy Napier tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating away from his family, the school announced Saturday.
The No. 24 Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1) aren’t playing this weekend. Their game against Central Arkansas, scheduled for Saturday, was canceled because of coronavirus-related issues in the Louisiana program.
The school said Napier began to exhibit symptoms on Wednesday and had two negative test results until a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken on Friday returned a positive result.
The team was scheduled to resume practice on Saturday after halting operations on Tuesday.
“Pending a successful recovery, Coach Napier will travel separately from the team to Monroe, Louisiana, for the Saturday, Nov. 28 game vs. ULM,” the school said in a statement.
Napier issued a statement of his own.
“I will be following all guidelines and recommendations set forth by our team medical staff and local public health officials,” said Napier, 41. “I am proud of how our student-athletes and staff have responded to this adversity. I challenge everyone, myself included, to adhere to all safety recommendations as we navigate this unprecedented time.”
Napier is in his third season with the Ragin’ Cajuns and has a 25-11 career record. His name has been mentioned in connection with the vacancy at South Carolina, which opened last weekend with the firing of Will Muschamp.
