Alabama coach Nick Saban tests positive for COVID-19

(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

published 15 October 2020

Alabama football coach Nick Saban and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne both tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

In a statement, Saban, 68, said once he found out he had the virus, "I immediately left work and isolated at home. At this time, I do not have any symptoms relative to COVID, and I have taken another PCR test to confirm my diagnosis."

The No. 2 Crimson Tide are set to play No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, and Saban, who has led the team to five national titles since 2007, said he isn't sure how involved he will be during the game. For Wednesday's practice, he watched via Zoom and was also on the phone with a staff member, letting them know if a play needed to be repeated. "I didn't leave the country or anything," Saban told reporters. "I'm just right down the street. And we have this technology, so it's really unique."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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