Penn State football’s Noah Cain cautious as workouts resume after seeing COVID-19’s impact on family
Penn State football’s Noah Cain saw firsthand how dangerous COVID-19 can be.
Cain had four family members, including his mother, contract the virus over the past few months.
“I had a few family members that had the virus,” Cain said on a teleconference with the media Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve seen what it can do to you. It definitely needs to be taken seriously. It’s not a joke.”
Cain’s family members are doing better now, according to the running back, but their experience with it opened his eyes to what it can do to someone.
“It’s scary,” he said. “Some days you don’t know if the person is going to make it, honestly. That just taught me to take it seriously. I ain’t gonna lie to y’all, at first I was just like, ‘it’s a virus, I’m not gonna get it,’ but as time went on and loved ones close to me started to get it, I started taking it more seriously and taking the precautions that I needed.”
Their experiences with the virus made it difficult for Cain to decide if he wanted to return to campus during the ongoing pandemic. Ultimately, he chose to return because State College is a much smaller, and more isolated, area than where he was staying in Texas and Arizona.
The sophomore arrived back on campus last Wednesday and was tested for COVID-19 on Monday.
While he waits for his chance to work out with teammates — and his test results — he’s had them fill him in on what he can expect when he returns.
“I’m just hearing it’s a big adjustment,” Cain said. “You’ve got to just keep your distance and mind your business, honestly. Get your work in and get out. The last thing we need is for some people to start becoming too touchy and then the next thing you know we’re in a big mess with this virus, because it’s so easy to get it.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 4:14 PM.
