Oregon and Oregon State athletes have been taking part in preseason workouts for more than a month, but the NCAA-approved preseason model approved in May, which permitted walkthroughs to begin Friday, conflicts with some of the state’s current COVID-19 rules set by Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority guidance for recreational sports.
To further muddy the issue, the Pac-12 earlier this month delayed the start of mandatory athletic activities for its member schools as part of its announcement that it would be eliminating nonconference football games this fall and instead would play a conference-only schedule.
During the walkthrough period, college football teams are permitted up to eight hours per week for weight training and conditioning, up to six hours per week for walkthrough practices and up to six hours per week for meetings, which can include team, position and one-on-one meetings and film review.
But holding a team meeting indoors on squads with more than 100 players, coaches and support staffers is not viable under current state rules. Depending on the size of the room, in-person position group meetings could also be difficult, though not impossible, to accommodate. Of course, Oregon and Oregon State can continue to conduct meetings virtually in the interim, but walkthroughs seemingly must be conducted outside because doing so in an indoor facility is, at best, a gray area that is rapidly headed toward an untenable hard place.
OHA Phase 2 reopening guidance for recreational sports prohibits full-contact sports, including football. Fall camps are set to open in two weeks, and even when counting the customary five-day acclimation period that includes two days in helmets only before two days in shells and then full pads, there are less than three weeks until the Ducks and Beavers are supposed to be practicing in earnest and no clear route for how that can or will happen on time.
“It is still our hope that we will see the Ducks and Beavers take the field for the modified conference season this fall but, as we saw with the cancellation of nonconference play, the situation surrounding COVID-19 and college sports is changing rapidly, and much of it is outside the state’s control,” said Charles Boyle, deputy communications director for Brown. “California now has more COVID-19 cases than any other state, Arizona has been a COVID-19 hotspot for weeks, and cases are on the rise in states across the Pac-12.
“I understand that conversations are still taking place at the conference and national levels about what NCAA football will look like this fall. We are working with the universities, public health officials, and other stakeholders to stay in close communication about training protocols that will allow Oregon’s college athletes to prepare for the upcoming season, while also avoiding a COVID-19 outbreak that would impact both the football teams and their communities at large.”
Both Benton and Lane counties are in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening guidelines, though Brown implemented some restrictions again earlier this week as the state’s COVID-19 cases continue to increase.
The University of Oregon announced two students either tested or are presumed to be positive for COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total to 42 cases among UO students to date. UO is refusing to release COVID-19 testing information for its athletes.
As of Monday, Oregon State has had four positive cases among its athletes, including two last week.
The Pac-12 has canceled its nonconference games and is weighing a 10-game conference schedule, which is expected to be voted on by the league’s presidents and chancellors next week. Under the proposed schedule, games would begin Sept. 19, two weeks later than what was to be the opening weekend for nine of the conference’s 12 teams, including both the Ducks and Beavers.
The NCAA’s Board of Governors met Friday and decided to wait until August to decide on fall sports championships. The group’s next scheduled meeting is Aug. 4, though the NCAA does not control the FBS postseason or whether any FBS conference competes in football this fall.
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July 25, 2020 at 11:04AM
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NCAA-approved preseason football walkthroughs conflict with some Oregon Heath Authority guidelines - OregonLive
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