Youth Coach Fired for Exposing Practice to COVID-19

A youth football coach in Kewaskum, Wis., exposed his players and fellow coaches to COVID-19 by attending practice and a scrimmage while symptomatic.

As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the unnamed coach had coronavirus symptoms and had been tested when he showed up at a Kewaskum-Hartford football scrimmage for teams of fifth- through eighth-graders last weekend. The Kewaskum Gridiron Club immediately relieved the coach of his duties and have since correctly implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

In a press release posted on its website, the Kewaskum Gridiron Club, which is part of the Wisconsin All-American Youth Football League, said it "is committed to providing everyone a safe, responsible way to play football during this unprecedented pandemic."

Kewaskum Gridiron Club officials are using video of the scrimmage to track people who came in contact with the coach, who tested positive for coronavirus.

“Responding to this pandemic is easy,” said county executive Josh Schoemann. “Stay home when sick, period. I have not found anyone who agrees with the coach’s decision to attend practice and a scrimmage while waiting for his test results. Individuals who blatantly ignore the Trump Administration and CDC guidelines play right into the hands of those who want to see our economy, schools and sports shut down. Every outbreak begins with a sick person not staying home. The vast majority of our citizens are following CDC guidelines.

“Washington County will not be issuing orders or heavy-handed government orders," Schoemann added. "We trust organizations, such as the gridiron club, to appropriately apply CDC guidelines for close contact.”