A Washington County football coach was fired after officials say he attended a scrimmage game knowing that he may have been positive for COVID-19. Test results showed that he was positive and the football club has since fired the coach.
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann said that the coach had been feeling ill with symptoms of COVID-19 and went to his doctor’s office for a test last Thursday.
It’s unclear if he knew he was positive when attending the Kewaskum-Hartford game Saturday, but the County Executive says he knew he had symptoms and should have stayed home.
It was during the game that county contact tracers from the health department called the coach.
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“He got that phone call as he was walking onto the field or as he was on the field, and made the decision that he needed to be at that scrimmage," Schoemann says.
When the Kewaskum Gridiron Youth Football league learned of the coach's diagnosis, they fired him immediately and looked at game film to see who he came into contact with.
The parent of a younger child practicing Monday said she felt it was handled well by the league and she felt safe sending her kid to play.
“We are trying to teach our kids we really need to stay in school right now, and we need to do everything we can do to keep ourselves and others safe. Being that this was an adult - shame on him," she told TMJ4 News.
The Washington-Ozaukee Health Department Director Kirsten Johnson says it’s unclear if the virus was spread by the coach, but adds it might take a few more days to see new cases. The county is encouraging anyone who may have come into contact with the coach, to be tested for COVID-19.