SEC Went First to Nudge and now Big 12 Coaches Allowed Virtual Meetings, Care Packages, etc.
STILLWATER -- One of the topics that is most important currently during this COVID-19 forced separation between football coaches and their student-athletes is starting to be resolved. According to an ESPN report on Sunday, March 29, the SEC office has notified it's 14 member schools that virtual instruction and video conferencing for its football programs will be allowed beginning Monday, March 30. Later Sunday the Big 12 announced their new guidelines as decided by the Big 12 Board in a Saturday meeting.
Like the Big 12 Conference Board, the SEC presidents and chancellors had voted to suspend all athletic activities, including practices, meetings and other activities, at least through April 15. The NCAA had suspended all off campus and on campus recruiting activities during the same time span. Off campus did not apply to football and once campuses were closed down as virtually all have been it was a mute point. However, with virtual learning, online classes beginning academically at Oklahoma State last week, coaches were hoping to be able to meet with players as position groups and maybe even complete sides of the football.
The new updated guidelines in the SEC will now allow two hours of virtual instruction or meetings per week, including film review. It is not a complete substitute for spring football, but it could help some. The thought is the SEC has publicized this and the Big 12 is included too.
"We have hit March 29 now, which was our date to reconsider what we would be doing in the longer term," Bowlsby explained last Thursday. "We have done that along with all of our A-5 colleagues (Power Five Conferences), so we are all signing off the same music. I don't know that we all have to be doing the same things, but we are looking at all of it as things begin to calm down a little bit."
Here are the Big 12 updates to their COVID-19 policies of dos and don'ts for member schools:
No organized, in-person team activities of any type, in any location (This is not a change, but a continuance)
No in-person voluntary , film study sessions, meetings, technique drills or captains' practices/OTA sessions of any type, in any location until a permissible date is established by the NCAA.
No virtual or supervised physical workouts and skill instruction, regardless of location.
Virtual group activities, including film study, are limited to two hours per week in all sports. Only countable coaches (full-time coaching staff) may conduct virtual film study, technical discussions, tactical sessions and other non-physical activities. These policies will be revisited and adjusted at regular intervals and as circumstances dictate.
Coaches (Rob Glass and staff) can recommend written, self-directed workout plans provided they are approved in accordance with proper procedures as outlined by each institution's appropriate sport performance, medical and/or athletic training personnel and in accordance with NCAA recommendations on preventing catastrophic injury and death. Taped demonstration videos on respective workout plans are allowed in order to demonstrate proper form and technique. School personnel may not supervise, conduct or monitor workouts on or off campus.
Bowlsby said the first thing all of the school representatives agreed upon when the Big 12 decided to shut down athletics was sports medicine and rehabilitation. The commissioner said they also knew they needed to keep up the academics support and keep up with the mental health and wellness for the athletes.
Asked repeatedly last week about the virtual meetings on apps like Zoom or Team, Bowlsby said, "We're trying to do what we need to so that we are all singing off the same sheet music and I think we will get there sooner rather than later."
It sure appears that is the case because the Big 12 policies read almost exactly as the SEC policies that were announced late Saturday.
Cowboys running back Chuba Hubbard should have everything he needs in the way of equipment and nutrition in order to get better.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer - Pokes Report
Now that also includes being able to send out things to athletes.
In-person, on campus meals and nutritional supplements may be provided in situations where student-athletes are unable to leave campus. Off-campus nutritional supplements are limited to the permissible items as outlined in NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2.8.
It is fully permissible to provide non-athletically-related support to student-athletes including:
-- sports medicine treatments, physical therapy and rehabilitation
-- academic support
-- mental health and wellness support
It is permissible for institutions to provide off-campus student-athletes with apparel and personal equipment that is regularly available to student-athletes when they are on campus for conditioning . The provision of other equipment is not to extend to rental, purchase or arrangement of conditioning or strength training equipment or machines (e.g. stationary bicycles, treadmills, free weights, benches or weight machines) but is intended to allow for reasonable supplies such as stretching band/straps, foam rollers, etc.
Prospective student-athletes may not be involved in any capacity in any countable activities, including virtual activities.
The Big 12 Conference Board and Directors of Athletics will convene regularly to assess changing circumstances and to make shared decisions regarding amendments to the above-listed policies. The policies noted will commence at 7am CDT, Monday, March 30, 2020 and remain in effect until May 31, 2020 or until additional guidance is provided.
Decisions on the structure, schedule and components of training during the post period will be made as circumstances dictate.
From an Oklahoma State perspective, the football staff has been ready to begin virtual meetings as soon as they were permitted. The strength staff headed by Rob Glass, the equipment staff headed by Justin Williams, and athletic nutritionist Charles Hewitt were all preparing for potential packages of support materials going out to student-athletes.
