Clawson’s wife, Catherine, a cancer survivor, is at a higher risk for complications if she contracts COVID-19.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson is planning to isolate from his wife, Catherine, a cancer survivor, during the entire football season due to COVID-19.
Clawson told ESPN that doctors said Catherine Clawson’s reduced white blood cell count put her at a higher risk for complications if she contracted the coronavirus. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments for breast cancer three years ago.
The coach’s decision means he will begin isolating from his wife when football camp opens on July 12 and he won’t see her again until the season concludes.
“When I’m working on a daily basis, coaching 110 to 120 players and having a staff of 50, I don’t know how I could go home at night and honestly tell my wife I couldn’t have come in contact with [the coronavirus],” Clawson told ESPN. “I love coaching, but I love my wife more. There’s no way I’m going to do anything that would put her at risk.”
Clawson added that several members of his coaching staff are planning to make similar arrangements and he told his players that all activities are voluntary. If a Deamon Deacons player chooses to sit out the season due to COVID-19 concerns, Clawson guaranteed all scholarships will be honored.
“We’ve told our players that to play college football has always required dedication and sacrifice,” Clawson said, “and if we want to play football this year, they’re going to have to sacrifice more than they ever have before in terms of curtailing social life and not being around large groups of people, and the staff is no different.”
Wake Forest’s season is slated to begin on Sept. 4 at Old Dominion.
