With college football season in doubt, UM discussing scenario that Notre Dame opposes
The president of the University of Connecticut said this week that he does not expect a college football season this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Miami Hurricanes have begun discussing numerous scenarios, one of which involves playing games without fans.
UM president Julio Frenk, in an interview with WQAM’s Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder on Tuesday, said with regard to sports, “there are multiple scenarios we have been playing with. The possibility of re-opening up maybe without fans in the stadium for a while until we really get a hand on controlling the disease….
“I can imagine a scenario where we play without the public, just broadcasting, at least for a few weeks or months... and gradually go back when it is safe. We will be following NCAA and CDC guidelines. We all want to be back and have our sports and enjoy that community building that the Canes bring.”
But Frenk cautioned that “it is too early to be able to say exactly how things are going to resume.”
Frenk is a public health expert; he was minister of health of Mexico from 2000 to 2006.
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has been adamant that he cannot envision college football being played without fans.
Swarbrick explained on Mike Tirico’s NBC-SN show that he cannot understand how it would be safe for student-athletes to play but it not be safe for fans to attend.
Frenk said that UM expects students to be on campus this fall at Miami.
“We do expect to open very much on time by the beginning of the fall semester, in the middle of August or with minimum delays,” he told Hochman and Crowder. “We are going to have to increase physical distance. We are rapidly redesigning dormitories, dining halls. We are probably going to have to continue wearing face-masks. But we are ready for worst case scenarios if the pandemic is not controlled and we need further delays. But our expectation is we will be back in the fall.”
Meanwhile, Connecticut president Tom Katsouleas — while speaking to a journalism class Tuesday — said fall sports will likely be canceled.
Katsouleas later released a statement clarifying his comments:
“Earlier today, speaking to a UConn journalism class, I was asked about the return of fall 2020 sports and how that may be managed in light of the pandemic. I began by saying that the questions surrounding fall sports are not going to be answered solely by presidents or athletic directors, but will largely be driven by the NCAA, and that in many ways the choices would be decided for us. I did however say that the current thinking is that it’s likely that fall sports will be canceled.
“This was not based on any inside knowledge or discussions on the subject, and was nothing more than speculation. No decisions have been made about fall sports and when they are made, we will look to the NCAA and our conference to take the lead on those choices. We will also, as always, be guided by the governor and state government. Our hope is that we will be able to play in the fall, as planned.”
Commissioners of Power 5 schools told vice president Mike Pence in a conference call last week that college football games would not be played if students are not permitted to take classes on-campus.
UM athletic director Blake James has said he’s open to playing a spring college football schedule if needed. ESPN’s Chris Fowler said a spring college football season has emerged as what some believe is the most “prudent” plan.
In an interview with The Miami Herald, UM coach Manny Diaz said Tuesday that “everybody I speak to is very optimistic” that there will be a 2020 season but “it’s just too premature” to know for sure.
“It just doesn’t matter,” Diaz said. “It doesn’t matter what anybody’s predictions are. The only thing that really matters is that we continue to do everything we can to flatten the curve. If this is a communal effort, then everybody’s got to be on the same page. Then, the reward is football and other sports and a way of life that we’re more accustomed to.”
Does Diaz worry about the health of his players if social distancing restrictions are loosened?
“We’ll find out what the rules of engagement are and we’ll continue to educate our guys and understand that until there is a vaccine certainly the threat is not over and we have to be as smart as we possibly can be,” he said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
