The 40-member NCAA Division I Council could lift a nationwide moratorium on on-campus summer activities, multiple sources told Sports Illustrated, creating a pathway for schools to welcome back their athletes as soon as June 1.
As reported by SI, the key college athletics figures who make up the council have three options: They can keep campuses shutdown completely by extending the ban, an unlikely ruling according to people knowledgeable about the discussions; they can open campuses for voluntary training (without coaching interaction); or they can grant required training (with staff interaction). Members are in somewhat agreement on allowing voluntary access, but they plan to get feedback from coaches and administrators over the coming days.
Across the country, dozens of athletic departments are mobilizing to hold voluntary workouts with football, men's basketball and women's basketball players, according to SI. In that scenario, players would work out at team facilities while strength staff members provide supervision and other school officials administer safety precautions, such as screening athletes, sanitizing equipment and creating small-group training schedules. But many administrators are hoping the council lifts the ban — instituted in March with a May 31 deadline — to allow required training. In that scenario, players can have their normal summer activity maximum of eight hours per week — six with strength coaches and two with on-field coaches.
Many conferences are expected to meet soon to discuss conference-wide rulings on summer activity. The Southeastern Conference is further along than most, as the league stretches across a region that is reopening faster than other parts of the country. Ten of the conference’s 11 footprint states have at least started a reopening plan.
It's that potential inequity that leads many to think that a full lifting of the ban is unlikely, as 130 FBS programs are spread across states with varying guidelines. While most are in the midst of reopening plans, some states remain closed, with stringent shelter-at-home orders and large-gathering restrictions.
