Pac-12 partners with Quidel in 'game changing' move for athletics

HUGE NEWS hit the sports airwaves on Thursday afternoon when Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced a conference partnership with Quidel Corporation.

Quidel, a diagnostic company with rapid COVID-19 testing that can produce results in 15 minutes, is partnering with the conference to give it daily testing for athletes.

“This is a major step toward the safe resumption of Pac-12 sport competitions,” conference commissioner Larry Scott said in a released statement. “The availability of a reliable test that can be administered daily, with almost immediate results, addresses one of the key concerns that was expressed by our medical advisory committee, as well as by student-athletes, coaches and others.”

According to a webinar with Scott on Thursday, he said that each school will be able to have rapid testing available on campus as soon as the end of September.

This move has been labeled as a 'game changer' in the hopes of resuming athletics sooner than expected Jan. 1 deadline. When the conference moved to postpone all of athletics on Aug. 11 to the New Years, Scott said part of the major decision was because conference officials didn't think rapid testing was going to be available until late November at the earliest.

“Simply put, it’s a game changer," said Scott.

Zoom call over, and there was a lot going on. Here's the overarching takeaway.

Quidel's rapid response testing is a massive step forward for the Pac-12. Hurdles remain, but things are getting lined up to play sports before the original Jan. 1 decision from Aug. 11.
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) September 3, 2020

While it's now believed that the Pac-12 could resume athletics sooner than the original Jan. 1 deadline, there are still some hurdles that need to be cleared. Mainly, state officials need to agree to allow teams to play and practice before any allowance of resuming action.

As of now, half of the Pac-12 (Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC) and still not cleared for contact practices — although professional sporting teams in the state have not only resumed practices, but have resumed playing or will start playing within the next week.

The conference has repeatedly said that they need a full six weeks of practice time before they can return to an original season. So a legitimate time frame with testing beginning at the end of September would mean that a season could begin around Halloween or the week afterwards.

The Quidel “Sofia 2” testing machines are expected to be on each of the Pac-12 campuses by the end of the month. With athletes already in campus, this would allow an evaluation period over the coming weeks for the planning committees to devise a revised schedule for a return to action.

“This is an exciting new development that was announced today by the Pac-12. There is still much work to be done, and many details to be determined, but it is a very encouraging step forward on the path toward the safe return to sports competition,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said. “Our top priority all along has been the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and we will continue to keep that priority at the forefront of everything we do. Our approach will continue to be subject to the approval of public health authorities.”

At the end of the day, this partnership is just a step in the right direction and nothing more. Until it can be fully implemented on campuses and done correctly, there is no reason to expect Pac-12 sports to return prior to 2021.

“No doubt today is very good news and a major step forward. But hope has never been a strategy for the Pac-12 and our presidents and chancellors when they’ve made these decisions,” Scott said. “We’ve said all along we’re going to let the science and the data and what our public health officials are telling us drive our decision-making. And when we made our decision we didn’t have the government approval that we needed.”

Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:

Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka

Add us as a preferred source on Google