Rutgers football had at least 30 positive coronavirus cases

The coronavirus outbreak within the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program was more serious than some originally believed.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Rutgers coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Friday that at least 30 players tested positive for the virus since the team returned to campus for voluntary workouts in June.

The Big Ten, which includes Rutgers, officially postponed football and other fall sports on Tuesday because of the uncontrolled virus outbreak.

"It was like getting hit by a two-by-four when all the cases happened," Schiano told the press members.

Reports surfaced earlier this month that members from the football team had attended an on-campus party before coronavirus testing discovered the outbreak among players.

While Schiano is disappointed his team won't be in action even though the Big 12, ACC and SEC are moving forward with plans for fall football, he emphasized to his players that many around the world were dealt worse hands in 2020.

"We are going to be fine. A lot of people lost loved ones who are not going to be with them, so I have tried to share that with our players. Let's keep this all in perspective. It's adversity, sure, because it is not what we are used to. It's not what we thought would happen. But in the grand scheme of things, we got it pretty good."