For Penn State's Noah Cain, COVID-19 Hits Home

With family affected by the virus, Cain remains concerned. 'I've seen what it can do,' he said.

Penn State running back Noah Cain watched four family members, including his mother Tonya, struggle with COVID-19. He saw them sick and anxious yet protective at the same time, seeking to keep the virus as far from him as possible.

As a result, he's wary of those who downplay its seriousness.

"That's why I take it as kind of disrespectful when people don't take it seriously, because it's a real thing," Cain said on a video call with reporters. "I've seen what it can do."

Cain, one of Penn State's breakthrough freshmen last season, spent his quarantine time in Dallas (where his mother lives) and Arizona, trying to train while members of his family dealt with COVID-19. Cain said that his mother fought it for a month. All are doing better now, he said.

Cain wasn't able to attend a family funeral in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he's originally from, because his parents sought to keep him from potentially being exposed to the virus. Further, his family, including father Terence, encouraged Cain to return to State College for this month's voluntary workouts, feeling he would be safer in a smaller town guided by Penn State's medical staff.

Despite being uneasy about returning, Cain flew from Dallas to State College last week to begin his quarantine period. He is scheduled to join the team for voluntary workouts in a few days.

"It was a difficult decision for me to come back, just because of the fact it's so easy to get [the virus] from touching somebody, being in the same room as them, especially on a plane," Cain said. "The best thing about being in State College is, it's a small town, so not many people are here vs. the cities I was in. And the team physicians are teaching me more and more every day about what I can and cannot do."

Cain admitted that he initially downplayed the virus' potential harm until seeing how it affected his family.

"It's scary," Cain said. "Some days you don't know if the person's going to make it, honestly. That just taught me to take it more seriously. Because, I'm not going to lie to you, at first I was like, it's a virus, I'm not going to get it. But as time went on and my loved ones close to me started getting it, I started taking it more seriously and taking all the precautions that I needed."

Even through that anxious time, Cain found ways to improve. After concluding winter workouts at 223 pounds (17 more than he was listed at prior to the Cotton Bowl), Cain continued training in Arizona and Dallas. He returned to State College feeling "as lean and as explosive as ever."

Now, he's turning his attention toward voluntary workouts and the long road to training camp. Still, Cain said, the virus remains in the back of his mind.

"It's so easy to get," he said. "And I know our season isn't confirmed, but I think our doctors on our team are going to give us the best chance to play and keep us as safe as possible."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.