The Pac-12 has canceled Saturday's scheduled game between Arizona State and Cal in Tempe because of a lack of available players for the Sun Devils.
ASU has had multiple positive COVID-19 tests this week, the school said Friday morning. Among those testing positive: coach Herm Edwards.
Edwards, 66, said in a statement that he and his family "are fine" and that he "will be back quicker than you can say 'Forks Up!'"
"Second," he added, "even with the marvelous care our medical professionals have provided for myself, my staff and my team over the past few months the virus still found me. So, I encourage all of you to take this virus seriously, to wear a mask, practice physical distancing and get tested whenever possible.
"As I've stated many times over, the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is absolutely paramount and we will not put them at risk. Our team has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and even played a game last weekend. We will continue to care for our students-athletes and follow all protocols very thoroughly as we prepare for our next game. Our team and coaching staff are disappointed, but we do understand what we are dealing with."
Friday's news marks the second time in as many weeks that Cal's scheduled game has been canceled because of the virus. Last week's opener was scrapped because of too many positive tests on the Golden Bears' roster.
Per Pac-12 policy, Saturday's game between Cal (0-0) and ASU (0-1) will be declared a no contest.
ASU athletic director Ray Anderson said the cancellation of a game "is very difficult to accept for all of us, but it is the right decision under the circumstances. In every case we continue to consider the health, safety and welfare of out student-athletes as our number one priority.
"I feel for our student-athletes and everyone associated with Sun Devil Athletics, as well as Sun Devil Nation. This also has an impact on the University of California football program and we extend our appreciation for their understanding of the situation."
Edwards is the third Pac-12 head coach to test positive for the virus. Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin missed the start of training camp after being diagnosed with COVID-19; Chip Kelly had it earlier in the year.
Before the Pac-12's truncated, conference-only season began, Edwards said his team would take on two opponents every week. One is the opponent on the schedule.
"Then there's the one you cannot see, and you cannot let your guard down at any time," he said then. "It's an equal-opportunity virus. It doesn't matter who you are; it just doesn't matter. If you put yourself in a position where obviously you catch it, how many people is it going to affect? That could be catastrophic to a football program if you don't catch it in time."
