Football coach Chip Kelly reportedly tested positive for coronavirus in March
In the midst of a hectic offseason, Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that UCLA football coach Chip Kelly tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the pandemic.(Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Jack Perez
Aug. 6, 2020 6:45 p.m.
UCLA football coach Chip Kelly tested positive for coronavirus in March, according to the Los Angeles Times.
No official sources could be cited as Kelly’s health records are private, but the report says that multiple people close to the team, who remained anonymous, confirmed the story.
UCLA has chosen not to disclose cases except for UCLA’s official COVID-19 tracker. This tracker would not differentiate Kelly from any other staff member who works at the university.
The news comes just a day after at least eight UCLA football players were confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus during the pandemic.
The report also states that Kelly’s wife also contracted the disease despite following public health guidelines. Both have since recovered.
UCLA Athletics declined to comment.
Although his football team has struggled over the last two seasons, going just 7-17, Kelly has been praised by his players for his stance on coronavirus-related issues as they prepare for a shortened season.
Rising junior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said in the LA Times article that Kelly’s efforts have led to the Bruins following stricter rules for staying healthy despite LA County experiencing a resurgence in the number of cases.
While the eight football athletes were confirmed to have tested positive, none are currently self-isolating as they have recovered and since tested negative.
He also tweeted out that the players stood with Kelly and the coach agreed with them following an LA Times article in June stating that players were calling for third-party testing as they returned to practice.
#1 No one said they didn’t trust coach Kelly #2 Majority of players talked about these demands but only a handful were willing to have there names publicly written
Don’t turn this into a feeding frenzy on Coach, this is about the safety of the program as a whole. https://t.co/5dVnLgulKL
— DTR (@DoriansTweets) June 19, 2020
The Bruins’ season opener is scheduled for Sept. 26. However, because of the number of local cases, the team may struggle to have full practices anytime soon, putting the start time at risk.
