Alabama football coach Nick Saban cleared to return immediately after third negative COVID-19 test

Moore Athletic Facility and began self-isolating at home.SEC guidelines state that if an individual has three successive negative PCR tests through an SEC-appointed lab, each 24 hours apart, and remains asymptomatic, the initial test would be considered a false positive and the individual may be released from isolation and medically cleared to return to athletics activities.On Friday, Alabama said Saban's initial positive test result came from an outside lab that the university has used to supplement the SEC-mandated testing.A source close to Saban told ESPN that he felt from the beginning that the initial test was a false positive because he never had any symptoms or experienced a fever."He didn't even have a sniffle," the source said.Saban wasn't at the football complex for the second half of the week, but he conducted team and staff meetings via Zoom and watched the practices on a live feed from home -- with a high-angled camera view -- and communicated with coaches by cell phone if he wanted some part of practice redone.One staffer told ESPN that Saban might not have been there physically, but that he was definitely there in spirit and didn't miss anything from home."You didn't see him out there, but it's almost like he never left," the staffer said.Saban appeared on ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday morning from his home and acknowledged he felt a "little bit detached" this week, but that he stayed involved virtually with the team and staff in everything they've done in both practices and meetings."Even though I'm not there, the presence has been the same," Saban said.Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, who also tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, on Saturday posted on Twitter that he he is "feeling pretty good," but that he is still at home following protocol and will not attend the game vs.