Three Oklahoma State players test positive for coronavirus, freshmen told not to report to campus

Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga said he tested positive despite being well protected in the large groups

By Chip Patterson

Jun 3, 2020 at 11:27 am ET • 1 min read

Oklahoma State is among the many programs welcoming players back to campus this week, beginning the still-evolving process of getting college football on track for the 2020 season. Each school and conference has different guidelines, but new protocols are being put into place all across the country as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and many include testing players upon their return to campus.

247Sports is reporting that incoming freshman on the football team "were told not to report to campus this week" as a result of three current Cowboys players testing positive for the coronavirus. On Wednesday, senior associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth said that three student-athlete tests resulted in "asymptomatic positives" for COVID-19 among the 150-plus tests conducted across the community of student-athletes, staff and administration during the athletic department's reopening protocol.

"Positives were expected and the plan for that scenario has been activated," Klintworth said in a message posted to Twitter. "We will be as forthcoming as possible on the COVID issues."

Senior linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga is among the first to experience this first hand as he announced on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19, noting that he took part in a protest in Tulsa over the weekend.

"After attending a protest in Tulsa AND being well protective of myself, I have tested positive for COVID-19," Ogbongbemiga said on Twitter. "Please, if you are going to protest, take care of yourself and stay safe."

It is not known if Ogbongbemiga received a positive result after taking a school-issued test or on his own, but Oklahoma State's own policy indicates that if a student-athlete tests positive for COVID-19, they are to enter the "quarantine protocol" and "begin to receive the appropriate monitoring and treatment" from team physicians and/or athletic training staff.

Ogbongbemiga was one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 in 2019, leading the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and totaling 100 tackles. He earned second team All-Big 12 honors and was a finalist for the Cornish Trophy, given annually to the top Canadian in college football, but the award went to his Oklahoma State teammate running back Chuba Hubbard.