Indiana pauses football activities due to increase in COVID cases within program

No. 8 Indiana canceled Tuesday’s practice and has paused all football-related activities because of an increase in COVID-19 cases within the program.

The announcement came about five hours after Purdue announced it also had canceled Tuesday’s practice to “evaluate the results of recent COVID-19 testing.”

The in-state rivals are scheduled to play Saturday for the Old Oaken Bucket. Indiana officials said no decision has yet been made about the game.

Indiana said in a statement that all players, coaches and Tier 1 staff members had PCR tests.

“The health and safety of our students, coaches and staff is paramount,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said. “In consultation with our medical experts, we decided this is the appropriate decision at this time. We will continue to assess the situation moving forward.”

Indiana (6-1, No. 12 CFP) has clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten East and would qualify for next week’s conference championship game if No. 4 Ohio State (5-0, No. 4) is deemed ineligible because it failed to meet the league’s minimum requirement of playing at least six games to qualify.