It’s football time in the Bluegrass (sort of). SEC to start on-campus workouts June 8.
Voluntary workouts can begin soon for athletes in the Southeastern Conference.
Presidents of all 14 Southeastern Conference schools voted Friday to allow voluntary workouts to begin on their campuses effective June 8, the conference announced. That vote followed a Wednesday decision by the NCAA Division I council to allow colleges to begin allowing voluntary workouts for football players and men’s and women’s basketball players on June 1.
The SEC earlier in the spring banned athletics-related activities on its campus as part of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. That ban remains in effect through May 31.
Returning athletes to college campuses is widely interpreted as the first step essential to starting the fall sports season as scheduled. So far neither the NCAA has not made an official decision about competitions taking place, or how those competitions would look differently than normal if they are played, but several athletics directors within the SEC in recent weeks have said they’re preparing as if the season will start on time. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey shares that mentality.
“At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process,” Sankey said in a news release.
The University of Kentucky is one of the founding members of the SEC but as of now does not have a target return date in mind for its athletes. Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart in a letter to season-ticket holders said that UK is planning for football to be played in the fall and “taking the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved.” The school this week began selling three-game football ticket packages.
Barnhart issued a statement soon after the SEC’s announcement.
“With the NCAA and SEC approving a return to activity, we will now work with our partners at the state and local government and university levels to determine the date that our student-athletes will come back,” Barnhart said. “We will not compromise the safety and well-being of our student-athletes in this process, taking all possible precautions. Once we take this important step in returning to activity, we will shift our focus to preparing to return to play and bringing the entire UK family — student-athletes, coaches and fans alike — back together this fall in a responsible and safe way.”
Any decision made regarding the playing of games or attendance thereof would have to follow the guidelines set forth by local health officials and universities themselves. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced earlier this month that low-contact and outdoor youth sports could resume on June 15, but so far the state has not offered guidance on sports above the youth level (which typically consists of children below middle-school grades).
“I want to be really cognizant that these are student-athletes, right? They’re not paid professionals,” Beshear said this week. “And we want to make sure that it is safe for them. Now they are a part of an age group that respond the best to this virus in terms of health outcome, but they still get it. …
“It’s still going to be a real challenge when we look in the fall or anytime without a vaccine to have 20,000, 30,000 fans in stands, but we don’t want to presuppose where the virus is going. A lot could happen. And that’s why we don’t want to say ‘no’ but we do want to temper expectations.”
The SEC in April created a “return to activity” task force, which released recommended health and safety measures for campus officials to follow, in addition to the guidelines provided by their local authorities. One of those SEC recommendations is a three-stage screening process that entails screening before student-athletes arrive on campus, within 72 hours of entering athletics facilities and on a daily basis upon resumption of athletics activities.
UK is exploring different models under which it might reopen its campus to in-person instruction this fall. The school has has online-only classes since March.
Louisville, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, announced phase one of its plan for athlete returns on Thursday. It initially will invite back 30 football players, 15 men’s basketball players and 15 women’s basketball players. It will allow those players to return to campus on May 27 and begin working out June 8.
The NCAA is expected to make decisions regarding voluntary workouts for athletes in other sports in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 1:02 PM.
