Utah AD Mark Harlan issues statement on return to athletics
Following the announcement that the Pac-12 would begin its college football season on Nov. 6, and the basketball season to follow on Nov. 25, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan released a statement about the return of athletics.
Read the full statement below...
"Dear Utah Athletics Family,
I am so happy for our student-athletes whose sports programs will now be able to return to play with today's decisions by the Pac-12 CEO Group. This is an exciting day, and a real boost to the spirits of our entire department and our great fans.
At every stage of this process, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff has been our highest priority, and the guidance of medical experts has informed each decision. We are grateful for the diligent work of the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, the game-changing partnership with Quidel, and the leadership of the Pac-12 CEO Group to continuously evaluate new information to reach the decisions announced today.
All of our student-athletes and coaches have been working extremely hard to keep themselves prepared for the possibility of competition and they have been so disciplined in their adherence to our health and safety protocols. We will now finalize details of preseason preparations for our football, men's basketball and women's basketball programs. Football games will begin the weekend of Nov. 6-7, and men's and women's basketball competition will begin Nov. 25 in alignment with the NCAA basketball calendar. Our traditional Fall sports, including cross-country, soccer and volleyball, will continue their preparations for spring competition, consistent with the Pac-12 decision to align with NCAA Championships scheduling, and our winter and spring sports continue to train and prepare for their seasons.
We are fully prepared to host football games at Rice-Eccles Stadium this fall while construction continues on the Ken Garff Performance Zone. When the decision was made to proceed with the demolition of the Spence Clark Football Center in August, we thoroughly considered the implications of potential home football games in the stadium, and suitable contingency plans are being prepared for team locker rooms and all other game-related operations.
As part of today's announcement, the decision was made by the Conference that there will be no fans at any athletic competitions until Jan. 1, 2021. We understand and respect the health and safety considerations that were taken into account to arrive at this conference-wide decision. Our fans make home games something truly special and we will miss their presence this Fall.
Finally, I want to thank all of our tremendous Utah Utes fans who have remained so committed through very challenging times. Your support is critical, and we look forward to the day when we are able to gather again and watch our teams compete for the University of Utah. We will continue to rely upon every one of you for all of your support, and we sincerely thank you."
What are the biggest takeaways from Harlan's statement?
1.) The remaining fall sports will be playing in the spring as part of the NCAA's movement to allow fall sports championships in the spring.
2.) The basketball programs will be starting on time with the rest of the NCAA, thus allowing for a a nearly full slate of OOC games this year.
3.) There will be no fans in attendance until Jan. 1 at the minimum. That means that Rice Eccles stadium will be a ghost town, as well as Jon M. Huntsman for the OOC games.
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