NCAA approves “virus-approved summer workouts” for three college sports, but many questions remain

LSU hopes to defend national title, but impediments remain

Photo: NBC Sports

… "it will be more of a step than a leap”  

The NCAA moved one step further to restarting college sports, but it does not mean that college football will start on time in August. 

Yahoo Sports first reported the news from the NCAA meeting on Wednesday,

An NCAA vote Wednesday cleared the return of student-athletes to campus in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball on June 1 through June 30, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports. This decision ends a moratorium on all athletic activities through May 31.

This doesn’t necessarily mean a rush back to campus for those three sports, as those decisions will be made in concert with state government, local government, conference and university officials.

But the NCAA Division I Council’s vote on Wednesday afternoon marks a significant step – both symbolically and in process – for the possibility of college football and other sports returning in the fall. 

Pete Thamel, “Sources: NCAA approves voluntary activities for football, 

basketball starting June 1,” Yahoo Sports, May 20, 2020

Workouts are voluntary

The directive is one way of trying to find a route to return to the normal in college athletics. However, this does not mean that things are returning to normal,

The workouts are considered voluntary, meaning no on-field coaches can have interaction with athletes, but strength staff members are expected to be able to supervise activity.

In a normal summer, athletes can spend eight hours a week with interaction from the staff—two hours with on-field coaches and six with strength staffers. It’s unclear when programs will be allowed those normal activities. In a story published on SI last week, conference commissioners said consensus had been reached on a six-week training camp that must start by mid-July in order to kick off the season on time, but even before that, players will ready themselves for camp with workouts that are expected to be much different than normal.

Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde, “Sources: NCAA Votes to Lift Ban on On-Campus 

Training Activities Starting June 1,” Sports Illustrated, May 20, 2020

Safety the major concern

The major concern for the schools, not just in athletics but in every aspect of campus life and operation, is the safety of the students. For coaches, the health of the athletes includes a tremendous training regimen, and instead of having one with first-class equipment that includes an excellent weight room, and those athletes have not had the access to those facilities for about ten weeks. 

In addition, the threat of the coronavirus has college administrators spooked, which is why so many of them have established a format for keeping the students away from danger,

Many schools have created comprehensive safety plans to welcome back their athletes, detailed in a wide-ranging story published Monday at SI. Some programs have secured upwards of 4,000 pairs of gloves. They plan to use disinfectant fogging machines to coat weight rooms and locker rooms. Screening processes will include temperature checks of all players, and most staff and coaches will wear masks throughout the facility. Weights rooms are being adjusted to adhere to social distancing, some even relocating outside. There is to be no showering, high-fiving or sharing water bottles.

And, yes, for the first couple of weeks, there are no footballs allowed. “They are going to want to pick up the ball, but look at re-socialization guidelines: you want to avoid shared equipment in the first phase,” says Mary McLendon, an associate athletic director at Mississippi State overseeing the school’s reopening. Programs plan to follow CDC and NCAA guidelines, phasing in workouts slowly and keeping most to very small groups.

Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated, May 20, 2020

States and conferences have different guidelines

Most coaches want their athletes back on campus as soon as possible, but the guidelines of the states regarding reopening and Covid 19 differ significantly,

Every school—and every conference—isn’t in the same boat. Each state is under different stages of reopening, including some that haven’t even started the process. At least 18 states aren’t open at all or are in the early stages of opening, and dozens more are at completely different steps in the process—from Georgia, where gyms and salons are open, to Kentucky, which has only opened select essential businesses.

In addition to state laws, there are conference bans to overcome in some leagues. That’s the case in the SEC, where leaders are expected to discuss the topic at a meeting Friday. The Pac-12 met Monday, for now tabling a decision. Other conferences are holding regular meetings on the topic and could pass resolutions lifting bans over the next two to three weeks. However, some leagues are leaving decisions up to their individual schools. That includes the Sun Belt and American Athletic. “We realize there are going to be some inequities,” says AAC commissioner Mike Aresco. “Some campuses will open a little later than others when it comes to that sort of thing.”

Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated, May 20, 2020

Some schools have set up their return dates. Ohio State is June 8 according to SI, and Houston and LSU are going to return on June 1, the first date possible. 

The NCAA directive is June 1 through June 30.