Report: 2 Texas Football Players Test Positive for COVID-19 After Campus Return

Two Texas Longhorns football players reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 as 58 players returned to an otherwise student-less campus prior to voluntary workouts.  

ESPN reported the news, noting a third player tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. 

On Thursday, Texas head coach Tom Herman spoke to a potential cause of the positive tests, and noted he wasn't worried about an outbreak on his team, per Danny Davis of The Statesman: 

One of the three players was tested prior to arriving on campus because he showed symptoms during pre-screening, while the other two were tested on campus. The two who tested positive are self-isolating.

Nick Moyle of the San Antonio Express-News noted the players arrived to kickstart the "on-boarding process" in preparation for the voluntary workouts that are allowed to start on Monday, per Big 12 guidelines.

From there, the second phase will feature players living on campus.

"The on-going first phase on-boarding program consists of a robust screening process that includes COVID-19 testing, physicals and questionnaires," Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a newsletter. "Mandatory physicals, daily screening and COVID-19 safety education/training conducted by Dr. James Bray and our Sports Medicine staff also must be completed before student-athletes may begin the second phase workout program."

As of Wednesday, there have been more than 7.3 million confirmed cases and 416,000 deaths from COVID-19 across the world.