Several referees were sent home from the controlled environment of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Indianapolis due to a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracking, the NCAA said in a statement late on Monday.
According to the NCAA, one officer tested positive on Monday and interacted with five other officers. All six were sent home. Four of the referees were replaced from a reserve pool; two will not be replaced.
The stadium reported that referees Ted Valentine, John Higgins and Roger Ayers were among those sent home.
“The NCAA replaced several March Madness employees because of a positive COVID-19 test,” said the NCAA in a statement. “One official tested positive on March 15, and five other officials with whom the person interacted the day before were identified as risks of exposure due to prolonged close contact. Based on tournament protocols and tracking contracts with public health officials these officials cannot participate in the tournament. The infected official must be placed in isolation and the other officials must be placed in quarantine. “
The NCAA brought 60 referees for Indy in total.
While all signs point to the tournament continuing without a hiccup, a team has until Tuesday to notify the NCAA if it fails to comply with its protocols for the Indianapolis bubble. It is unclear which players will be available for Kansas, which withdrew from the Big 12 tournament, and Virginia, which withdrew from the ACC tournament, because of problems with COVID-19.
If any team is forced to withdraw by Tuesday, one of the NCAA’s four replacement teams – Louisville, Colorado State, Saint Louis and Mississippi – will be used as a substitute. After Tuesday, the teams that have to give up will not be replaced and their opponents will advance.