The SEC announced that athletes "can begin using facilities on campus for voluntary workouts June 8 under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each university," according to Chris Low of ESPN.com. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on Friday said the timelines for staff members and athletes returning "may vary from campus to campus." One SEC administrator said that the date that players "actually begin working out in the weight room or conducting voluntary workouts could be days, and possibly a week or more, after they return to campus on June 8." They added that "some of the players could also return in waves" (ESPN.com, 5/22). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Higgins & Radnofsky wrote the most intense event in college athletics right now is "a game of chicken among conferences, universities and state officials over whether they will reopen campus in the fall -- and therefore unlock the ability to begin a football season." It is a game that is "playing out in wildly different ways across the country, suggesting that a chaotic runup to the 2020 season is ahead." Largely red states that are "less dense and have generally been less ravaged by the virus to date have been more eager to ease social distancing measures and more eager to resume play" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/22).
PLAN OF ACTION? USA TODAY's Dan Wolken wrote the SEC's announcement that "so-called 'voluntary' workouts (let's be real, there's no such thing) can resume on campus as early as June 8 came with a significant hint about how college football programs are not going to meet the testing standards being established by pro sports leagues." According to the SEC and subsequent releases by multiple schools, players and staff members "will be tested when they come back to campus to make sure they don't have COVID-19 before they begin workouts." But after that there is "no mandate to test anyone unless they're exhibiting symptoms." Wolken: "Is that really good enough to make sure college athletics facilities don't become COVID-19 hotspots themselves? Who knows. But is sure seems like a heck of a risky bet." Not having a national mandate for frequent testing as athletes return "also presents a whole slew of other issues." Wolken: "Are we really counting on football players, who almost universally would play through injuries or illness if they're physically able, to be forthcoming about symptoms?" (USA TODAY, 5/22).
