During the week of Alabama’s matchup with Georgia, both Nick Saban and Greg Byrne received positive test results for Coronavirus.
While the outcome for Saban ended up as a false positive, Byrne experienced symptoms for the virus.
Hours before the game started, the athletic director for the Crimson Tide posted a statement to Twitter that he was ‘feeling pretty good‘ and that he appreciated the well wishes from fans.
He watched the game from home and cheered with approval, as Alabama defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 41-24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
On Thursday, Byrne made an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show and talked about his experience with COVID-19. He said he hopes he never has to go through it again.
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“The first couple days I had a pretty constant fever,” Byrne said. “The chills and the body aches went away and after 10 days, I shouldn’t be contagious anymore, but this has gone on longer than anything I’ve dealt with before.”
Byrne and Saban have both been advocates for public health and safety. Both have been spotted wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
Saban even had a public service announcement (PSA) video, which featured Jeff Allen and Big AL, that talked about the importance of being safe. Although there have been a lot of false positives, in terms of tests, Byrne is looking to be extra careful.
“Now that I have been through it, I know why people have had issues with it,” Byrne said. “I know why the call is out there to try and be respectful to one another, and I hope I don’t go through anything like this ever again because it is not a lot of fun.”
Like Saban, Tide fans are happy and relieved to know that Byrne is okay.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
