Huskies Begin to Trickle In, But Need to Self-Quarantine
University of Washington football players begin arriving in Seattle this week.
They'll bring their personal belongings, some barbells and a lot of hope.
No, they won't immediately head for campus and the Husky weight room.
Players will be asked to self-guarantine for at least a week before using UW training facilities.
Rob Scheidegger, Husky football's head trainer and heading up a coronavirus task force, is getting ready for them. He might be the busiest man in the athletic department, but the school says it will make him available for a media briefing soon.
Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, shown in the video, says college football players are gradually trickling in at schools nationwide.
The NCAA doesn't permit any organized workouts at this time that involve coaching coordinators or other assistant coaches, but is working on an overall plan that will provide guidelines for everyone to follow.
Early discussions indicate that schools might be permitted to restart with formalized football activities by mid-July, giving teams six to eight weeks to get ready for a prospective season.
The biggest obstacle, of course, is a coronavirus outbreak that could emerge at any time among these large gathering of players and disrupt everything.
This past week, Alabama, Iowa State, Marshall, Mississippi and Oklahoma State disclosed multiple positive cases among their athletes and athletic personnel as people have returned to those schools.
Teams might have to intermittently shut down as the illness flares. Games and seasons could be put at risk.
Teams might not be ready to begin the season in late August or September. They could end up playing different amounts of games. Or not at all.
