Since the NCAA allowed voluntary workouts to begin June 1, major college football programs have been forced to deal with multiple COVID-19 cases sooner rather than later.
LSU, the reigning national champions, currently has at least 30 players in quarantine. At national runner-up Clemson, at least 37 athletes (as of Friday night), the majority being football players, have tested positive.
More football programs at places like the University of Texas, South Florida, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Houston and Kansas State, which suspended workouts Saturday for a period of 14 days, are dealing with the virus.
Closer to home, the PIAA is watching.
“We follow it closely because it’s a trickle-down effect. You’re going to see it at all levels,” said Dr. Robert Lombardi, PIAA Executive Director, this week.
“You’re seeing it with MLB, the NFL, and what’s going on now with the PGA Tour. The virus goes after everybody, but the lessons that we’re trying to learn now is how do you handle it? No one wants to go back to March 13.”
The PIAA’s original target date to begin summer workouts was July 1, but the state’s governing body for scholastic sports adjusted its timeline to align with Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf’s guidance released two weeks ago.
Since June 10, Pa. high schools have constructed mandatory health and safety plans that must be school board approved and posted on school or district websites.
“It’s a tremendous win-win for all schools if they wanted to start early, they could. It gave each school the best possible scenario for their communities because each is different,” Lombardi said.
“In many communities, the school is the center for fitness. Citizens walk on the track or maybe there is not another gym in the area. Schools also have the option to begin later, to take their time and put everything into place before starting.”
With a complete fall season as the goal, dealing with all facets of reopening sports, from instructing all athletes and parents to strictly following all CDC and PDE guidelines, is paramount.
“This next 10-12 weeks is a way to install the plan and work the plan to find out the best practices to get to the fall,” Lombardi said. “It’s real-life practices and learning how to handle a setback.”
Although the current guidelines are thorough, Lombardi said one area that needs to be stressed is the ability of students to get water and stay hydrated. When workouts begin, athletes must bring their own water and are not allowed to share bottles or drink from regular coolers provided by the school.
“We have to be very cognizant of that, being able to get water on site in a safe manner is paramount,” said Lombardi.
“That’s something in hindsight, I think, should have been stressed even more. Consumption is critical. Maybe a kid brings 32 ounces of water, but if it’s hot and you’re a 265-pound lineman doing drills for an hour, that’s not enough. That’s a lot of perspiration, so that has to be carefully monitored.”
Lombardi said talks to continue the flow of information and find the best practices to move forward are ongoing.
The PIAA has been in contact with the Pa. State Football Coaches Association and Lombardi was part of a conference call with the NFL Thursday. Part of that agenda is pro football’s return to play.
