A Week 3 college football game has been canceled due to a whooping cough outbreak.
Portland State was forced to cancel its matchup against South Dakota on Saturday to an outbreak in the locker room. According to a statement from Portland State, officials determined that playing the game would not be in the best interest of the student-athletes involved.
The program says the virus first started impacting the team 2 days ago. Here’s an excerpt of Portland State’s press release:
“A case of pertussis (whooping cough) got into the Viking team two days ago. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that affects the lungs. As a result, many team members have been exposed to the disease. The two programs and their team doctors have been in discussions regarding the situation. It was determined by Portland State that the game would not be played in the interest of the health of the student-athletes.”
Portland State also said that no student-athletes are “seriously ill” at this time. The program said information on refunds will be announced at a later date.
Portland State played Washington State in Week 1 and lost 70-30. The Vikings have another FBS game scheduled for next week against Boise State. At this time, it’s unclear if that contest is also in jeopardy.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
