Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz, who threw five touchdown passes Friday night against Illinois in his first college start, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Wisconsin State Journal
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and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sunday.Mertz’s positive test came from daily rapid antigen testing, the papers reported, and would need to be confirmed by a PCR nasal swab test. If the positive result is confirmed, Mertz would be sidelined for at least 21 days according to the Big Ten’s COVID-19 protocols.
That would mean Mertz would miss at least the next three games for the ninth-ranked Badgers, who play at Nebraska, at home against Purdue and at Michigan.
Mertz, a redshirt freshman from Mission, Kan., completed 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and the five scores in Wisconsin’s 45-7 rout of Illinois in Friday’s Big Ten opener.
Wisconsin released a statement Sunday night that said it “will not be releasing COVID-related testing information regarding any individual student-athlete, due to medical privacy.” The statement said no players, coaches or staff members who participated in the Illinois game had recorded a positive antigen test or reported symptoms before the game.