Big Ten Could Delay Start Of Preseason Football Camp, Fall Sports
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in a letter to conference athletic directors that medical policies and COVID-19 testing protocols will be released next week.
But that doesn't mean the beginning of fall football camp on August 7 will start on time, nor does it mean the fall sports seasons within the conference will start on time.
And the conference, which has already decided that all fall sports will have conference-only schedules, could decide to cancel or postpone the entire fall schedule.
The contents of the letter were first reported by Eleven Warriors on Thursday night.
The letter from Warren and Dr. Chris Kratochvil, chair of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, said:
"The health and safety of our students, student-athletes, and everyone associated with our Big Ten university communities has been and will remain our primary focus. We remain hopeful to compete this fall in men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball, understanding that we must operate in a manner that seeks to address the challenges that COVID-19 presents. If we determine as a Conference that it is not prudent to compete in the fall of 2020, we will not do so, much like our decision in March 2020 to cancel the Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis. Our final decision will be rooted in guidance from medical experts and in consultation with institutional leadership, student-athletes, coaches and appropriate federal, state, and local authorities."
August 7 has been the start date for football camp since the NCAA established its timeline for the summer practice and workout schedules in June.
That could change, the letter stated:
"We want to say as clearly as we can that we understand the frustration associated with the circumstances created by the COVID-19 virus. The pandemic has made it challenging to provide information as early as we would like, but it is important for us to be thorough and transparent. We will not, and cannot, proceed with preseason camp until we are certain that we can do so safely and that will depend, in part, on testing. Once we have everything in place to execute our testing protocols effectively, including the appropriate number of tests secured for all fall sports, we can make a decision as to whether preseason camp will begin as currently scheduled. We anticipate making that decision within the next 5 days."
There have been no sports within the Big Ten since the conference canceled the remaining four days of its men's basketball tournament in March because of the pandemic.
The conference voted earlier this month to have just a league-only schedule for its fall sports to assure consistent testing and medical protocols.
The policies and protocols are being finalized with the Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases.
"Policies and protocols will include medical standardized testing requirements that will be consistently evaluated to ensure we are accounting for current medical recommendations," the letter stated. "We believe that the implementation of these protocols will help us mitigate risk as we seek to safely resume athletic activity and competition."
