Football coach talks battle with COVID-19

Pleasant Valley High football coach Mark Cooley sat down with Action News Now to discuss his battle with COVID-19 and set the record straight.

6 --the pleasant valley high football coach is talking for the first time since recovering from the coronavirus.

He sat down with action news now sports director vanessa romo for an exclusive interview.

He led his team to two state championships in four years& but this season--- the coronavirus sacked mark cooley --- before the pleasant valley high football season began.

I was achy and super, super tired for like three days straight where i think i slept for 14 hours and i think on that third day i realized i lost my sense of smell& that has since came back& cooley spent 14 days quarantined and tested negative for covid-19 last week.

Now symptom free, he sat down with me to set the record straight & there were football practices earlier this month were you showing any symptoms during those workouts with your players?

Absolutely not, anytime i was at a football practice i had zero symptoms. on july 1st was the last practice i attended and i didn't have any symptoms until the morning of july 6th.

Cooley says the football team had july second through the 6th off for july 4th.

On monday, july 6th he got tested.

I immediately went home and sent out an email to the admin and district office and to my parents and players of my varsity football team saying i will not be at practice this week due to me testing for covid& the chico unified school district canceled all sporting activities the following week.

As of right now, to my knowledge there has not been one p.v.

Football player, nor any other p.v.

Football coach that has tested positive, im the ony lucky one so far& cooley says he was in contact with the district, school and administration and believes they took appropriate action.

As for how he got infected, cooley says he has no idea & a lot of people think they're invincible, did you ever think you would get it& no way, hahaha i was definitely one of those people that never thought i was going to get it, im thankful for the fact that it wasn't hospital related, where i had to go to the hospital& like everyone else you never think you're going to get the flu and this is one of those things, where unfortunately, i got it.

Cooley would also like to dispel rumors that he was at lake almanor during fourth of july weekend.

He says he has not been there in four years.

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