The Machinery Is in Motion to Postpone the 2020 College Football Season...

[HuskyHawk]

Delayed reality for BCU and the Citrus, e.g., Syracuse athletic department only testing players every other week; players canceling practice 3 times in a week in reasonable protest, etc.

Yeah, that's just nonsense. Northeastern plans to test all students multiple times a week and will return results within 3 hours.

If they want to play football, they are going to need to do a lot better than this. I think everybody will agree to push it off soon.

 

[upstater]

Delayed reality for BCU and the Citrus, e.g., Syracuse athletic department only testing players every other week; players canceling practice 3 times in a week in reasonable protest, etc.

Might as well not bother with testing at Pitt and Syracuse.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

Overall balanced read (plz keep political/partisan commentary out of comments):

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

"The season, while still on our radar screen, is not a guarantee. It's not a given."

Setting the stage

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

How is it that the Big Ten and Pac-12 deemed it too unsafe to play this fall based on medical experts, but others are pressing on?

B1G & Pac-12: more Virologists, Epidemiologists, relatively-independent state and city health officials; Presidents and Boards running show.

SEC, Big 12, ACC (for now): Reportedly, leaning heavier on team doctors beholden to AD bosses. Similarly, apparently less so on virologists, epidemiologists, relatively-independent state and city health officials. For now, University Presidents and Board of Trustees holding off on reality.

 

[freescooter]

Delayed reality for BCU and the Citrus, e.g., Syracuse athletic department only testing players every other week; players canceling practice 3 times in a week in reasonable protest, etc.

But they were only playing league games because other schools might not live up to their test protocols. Before the NESCAC cancelled Wesleyan had developed a better protocol for heaven sakes. What a crock.

 

[freescooter]

I agree with Blauds that this is ADs vs Presidents. I’m guessing som university president in the ACC is going to say “I don’t care what the league is doing, We are sitting this one out. My money is on Duke or Wake but it could be Leahy at BC or the Syracuse one who can blame their governors.

 

[huskymedic]

From the team that theoretically has the ultimate in on campus social distancing ("We have a unique situation here at the academy in which our [student-athletes] are truly locked in,” he said. Niumatalolo seconded that assessment: “Being on a military installation helps; Our campus is surrounded by a wall with gates and guards. Here, the bubble is literal.”)


No body contact. First team vs scout team. It’s the new normal at ‘bizarre’ Navy football practices.

>>Niumatalolo addressed the idea while discussing practice protocols he’s implemented to significantly limit interaction among players. To that end, the 13th-year mentor has decided not to conduct live scrimmage situations among front-line players. “Our medical personnel are telling us any face-to-face interaction could constitute contact tracing,” Niumatalolo explained. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

That means the starting offensive line will never go head-to-head with the starting defensive line. Same is true for the second and third units consisting of players that would likely get into games. “If you’re doing a two-on-two, offensive line versus defensive line pass protection, if one of them tests positive, the other three guys are out,” Niumatalolo said. “They all have to be out for 14 days of quarantine.”<<

>>Niumatalolo said Navy is essentially holding two separate practices per day to reduce the total number of players and coaches out on the field. The starting offense goes against the scout team defense, and the starting defense goes against the scout team offense. Further than that, position groups are divided for the purpose of going through most drills.

“Listening to our doctors and trainers, keeping people separate and in small groups is the best thing. Obviously, it’s not the best thing for football,” he said. “I’m trying to keep our team as separate as possible, so if someone happens to test positive it doesn’t take out our entire starting offensive line.”<<

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

Louisiana media outlet:

 

[RSTuthill]

I agree with Blauds that this is ADs vs Presidents.

Exactly what I said in the Hahaha ... thread. We are gonna find out who runs the P5 institutions. I said that I was betting on the highest paid persons. So far I have been proved wrong in 2 out of five cases. But it is early days yet. I do think that the Conferences have tremendous sway in this situation though -- contractually. Practically speaking any decision will have to be adhered to by all.

 

[Waquoit]

How does one look at that chart and say it's safe to play? Gotta be southern math.

 

[huskypantz]

B1G & Pac-12: more Virologists, Epidemiologists, relatively-independent state and city health officials; Presidents and Boards running show.

SEC, Big 12, ACC (for now): Reportedly, leaning heavier on team doctors beholden to AD bosses. Similarly, apparently less so on virologists, epidemiologists, relatively-independent state and city health officials. For now, University Presidents and Board of Trustees holding off on reality.

SEC leaning on team doctors, who I'm guessing are by and large all orthopedic surgeons. Yikes.

 

[upstater]

People criticizing the B1G and Pac12's decisions are not taking into account the extreme political and booster pressure down south. It's really as simple as that.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

How does one look at that chart and say it's safe to play? Gotta be southern math.

The reopenings in alot of the states these conferences play, went well. [sarcasm]

 

[phillionaire]

9 players on OU tested positive today, and auburn football players are saying that the bars on campus are packed full of people. This is going to be a disaster.

 

[huskymedic]

9 players on OU tested positive today, and auburn football players are saying that the bars on campus are packed full of people. This is going to be a disaster.

I like the last one... “Our coaches and medical staff have been doing their absolute best to keep us safe, I don’t want them to be blamed for whatever happens going forward...”

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Notre Dame: No worries in South Bend, increasing rate of cases and only 9% of students tested positive since their 8/3 return. Spike up from 0.28% in pre-matriculation (pre-return) tests of all students performed by LabCorps.

Friday alone, 10 new + cases. Time will tell how well ND shields football players from quarantined students and from possible asymptomatic students floating about campus.

Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) // University Health Services // University of Notre Dame

University Health Services is the primary source of medical care on campus for Notre Dame students.

here.nd.edu

 

[Waquoit]

People criticizing the B1G and Pac12's decisions are not taking into account the extreme political and booster pressure down south. It's really as simple as that.

Womp, womp

 

[RSTuthill]

I like the last one... “Our coaches and medical staff have been doing their absolute best to keep us safe, I don’t want them to be blamed for whatever happens going forward...”

Whoever raised the point about how many infectious disease specialists these institutions have on staff and whether or not they are in positions of influence authority, reporting to the AD or President's office vs. all the orthopods and neurologists in the Athletics Department is right on the money. I am reminded of the age old joke in the aerospace engineering professions about what an airplane would look like if designed only by aerodynamicists, or only structures specialists, or materials specialists, or propulsion systems guys, etc. Very different answers indeed.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Exit 4]

Of course - because this is the practical balance society has landed on with virtually all other super high risk activities. You can do them, but we all have to acknowledge there is serious outsized risk. And guess what - most people will acknowledge that risk (sign the form) and play on.