SEATTLE — The University of Washington (UW) football program has decided not to pursue a bowl bid for the 2020 season due to too many positive coronavirus cases within the program.
In a statement, Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen said, "with the number of positive cases, specifically at the offensive line position, we will not have a team ready for competition."
The UW recently paused all football-related activities after discovering an increase in positive COVID-19 cases. Cohen said over the last 10 days the program continued aggressive testing protocols and made "every effort" to be able to have the team ready to return to the field.
"Since the start of practices this fall, we committed to returning to play only when we were able to do so in a healthy manner, and unfortunately, we aren't at that point at this time," Cohen said.
Head Football Coach, Jimmy Lake, expressed disappointed Friday and said in part, "This is disappointing for everyone within our program and all of Husky Nation, but this is the right decision to make to protect the health and safety of our players, which is always our greatest priority."
The announcement effectively ends the season for the Huskies.
Three games in UW's seven-game season were canceled due to positive COVID-19 cases either among the Huskies or their opponents. The Huskies finished 3-1.
