If you missed it earlier in the week, the N&O’s Andrew Carter wrote extensively on NC State’s College World Series debacle, based on documents he obtained via public records request.
Those records provide some clarity on the timeline of events in Omaha, starting with the first positive test within State’s traveling party, which came the day after the Pack’s 1-0 win over Vanderbilt. By the end of Friday, eight members of the 40-person traveling party had tested positive for COVID-19, and NC State was out of the tournament.
There was and remains a lot of confusion about the NCAA’s handling of the entire process, and in an email to Chancellor Randy Woodson, Elliott Avent did a lot of venting. This was the Sunday following the team’s removal early Saturday morning, and he wasn’t pulling punches:
When [the NCAA and Douglas County health department] realized their mistakes and lack of preparation they proceeded to cover their tracks and incompetence by making up rules and guidelines on the fly. There are two men in particular that I was told that lied to our administration and did things that were unprofessional and unethical.
The NCAA clearly did not have a clear plan in place for what unfolded that week, which frankly is mind-blowing, seeing as they’d had an entire academic year’s worth of experience holding events amid the pandemic.
That’s going to remain a sore spot between the university and the NCAA for a long time, I’d imagine.
