Stephen F. Austin head football coach Colby Carthel announced Wednesday that he tested positive for coronavirus. The announcement was shared through his Twitter page, where he released a statement.
Carthel said that the news of his positive test came as a surprise, but that he began isolating to limit the spread to others. There's no word on whether any players or other staff members have tested positive. What is known is that the replacement will be Carthel's father, Don.
There’s a 99.96% survival rate, so I like my odds...👍#CovidPositive #FeelingFine pic.twitter.com/jOifvENqjm
— Colby Carthel (@CoachCarthel) October 15, 2020
It's safe to assume there wasn't much doubt in Carthel's decision to name his own father as his replacement, but the decision to do so from an outside perspective does raise a few questions. Don is listed as the Special Teams Quality Control coach and the Director of High School Relations, per the Lumberjacks' website.
Basically, this means he serves as an off-field assistant for the special teams and also works on maintaining relationships with recruiting hubs. In other words, why he was chosen over, say, any of the team's actual coordinators is not exactly clear -- besides the whole family connection bit.
Stephen F. Austin's next game is scheduled for Saturday against Angelo State. Carthel had coached the Lumberjacks to a 1-3 record prior to his positive COVID test.