Eastern Washington football coach Aaron Best tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Idaho game

Eastern Washington football coach Aaron Best has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Eagles’ season-opening game at Idaho on Saturday, the school announced Thursday.

Per Big Sky Conference rules, the entire team and staff are given PCR tests every Wednesday.

The most recent test results were received Thursday morning, with Best being the only positive result. Best is asymptomatic.

Following institutional and regionally approved contact-tracing protocols for positive tests, it was determined that no other team members or staff needed to be quarantined. The decision to play the football game, as scheduled, was made during a phone call hosted by the Big Sky Conference featuring medical staff and athletic administrators from both universities. Best will be under quarantine protocols for an undetermined amount of time.

“It is certainly unfortunate not to be able to enjoy this Saturday as an entire EWU football family,” Best said in a release. “The team is ready to compete and their preparation to get to this stage has been nothing less than incredible.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.