Big Ten Extends On-Campus Closures Until June 1
The cliche, no news is good news, doesn't hold true for the Big Ten's latest edit regarding the closure of sports facilities on campuses throughout the league.
The news isn't really news, because nothing has changed, and that's not good at all for athletes hoping to get back into team facilities to train for the fall season.
That was the hope -- faint though it may have been in the on-going precautions against COVID-19 spread -- for the Big Ten's mandated May 3 moratorium on things getting back to normal.
Instead, the league has extended the closures and bans on all on on- and off-campus recruiting until June 1.
That's the date Iowa president Bruce Harreld told his university board of regents that he hopes the Hawkeyes can get back on the field.
“We’re ever so hopeful that this virus will be behind us at that point and we’ll be able to get back into what we normally do,” Harreld said.
OSU coach Ryan Day has taken a wait-and-see approach on all things COVID-19, acknowledging that predictions are futile in light of how quickly the situation could change.
"There are a lot of smart people in the world." Day said "There are a lot of smart people in college football and the NCAA. I think we'll come up with a great solution if we put our minds to it.
"But there are just still so many unknowns, it's hard to move anything. I do think we can create some models of different plans, based on return to play. But I still think it's too early on that. The best thing to do is keep talking this thing through and keep everything as up to date as possible.
"Once some decisions are made and we get a better feel for where this is going, then we can make some quick decisions."
Day has loosely framed a six-week window of preparation as ideal to get his team ready to play in the fall.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to open Sept. 5 against Bowling Green.
“We’ll do whatever we need to do, and we’ll make it work, whatever they tell us the parameters are," Day said. "We’ll adapt and we’ll play. We’re OK with adapting. We’d obviously love to play the whole season, and expecting to play the whole season, but if that’s what happens, then we’ll figure it out.”
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