Making sense of everything that came out about return of Gamecock athletes to campus
Across four hours, the information came flowing in at a rapid pace.
At 1 p.m. eastern time, the SEC announced its presidents had voted to allow several of its sports, notably football, to return to “voluntary” workouts on campus, a crucial part of the normal pace of a sports calendar.
Within a few hours, the University of South Carolina sent out its own information, first words from Athletic Director Ray Tanner and President Robert Caslen, then a release with some of its plans for players returning and then a breakdown of its protocols for Gamecocks players, for facilities and for testing.
By the time Tanner started talk at 4:30 p.m., the NCAA had expanded its vote earlier this week to allow all sports to start voluntary workouts June 1 (a vote earlier this week was limited to football and basketball).
So it’s worth taking a little time and processing all the information that came down from all those sources.
The SEC vote: This decision, from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and the school presidents, allowed teams to resume voluntary workouts with strength staffs on June 8. It came several days after the NCAA allowed for such workouts starting June 1 for only three sports. It left the specifics up to schools, but mentioned several levels of guidance.
South Carolina’s first official release: The school announced students will be tested upon returning and receive daily symptom and temperature checks. It also mentioned how facilities will be disinfected, face coverings will be required and procedures would be in place.
South Carolina announces detailed procedures: Soon after the first release, the school sent out a more detailed description of the protocols for testing, facilities, day-to-day procedures and more. That can be found here or at the bottom of this story.
The NCAA announcement: Expanding a vote from Wednesday to other sports.
Answering a (long) list of key questions:
When will players return to campus? Around June 1
All the players? At the moment, only football is settled. Other teams can return on their own pace. Tanner said in informal conversations, many will wait.
Will players be tested after arriving? They will be tested initially as part of returning to campus. Then they will be tested if the show symptoms. Tanner made some reference to asymptomatic testing, but that was not concrete.
What happens if a player falls ill? He or she will immediately be isolated and monitored multiple times a day.
What if a player’s roommate or member of his or her cluster tests positive? That athlete will have to self-quarantine for 14 days from exposure. They will also be monitored.
What are these clusters? Players will be broken up into groups of 4 to 6 for workouts. They will have to go through a medical check entering the building, and will have phones and keys disinfected. They will also not be allowed to linger after workouts.
Will South Carolina be using the locker rooms at various facilities? No.
How many football players are expected in the building in June? Between 100 and 110.
Does that include incoming freshmen? Yes.
Is there a threshold of cases for shutting things down? One has not been established.
Who is paying for the extra testing and precautions? Primarily the athletic department.
Is cutting sports on the table because of potential financial fallout? Yes, but Tanner said it was a last resort.
Have any discussions been made about how to distribute tickets if social-distancing measures are in place? No.
Is there a time line for team activities beyond just strength and conditioning? No. It’s not even yet clear if voluntary workouts like quarterbacks and receivers working out will be allowed.
Will there be extra football practice? It might be possible, but the NCAA hasn’t approved or considered it yet.
If an athlete doesn’t feel comfortable returning to campus, would their scholarship be at risk? No.
Will the football staff monitor players off campus? Conversations have been had about it, but anything comprehensive is a large-scale challenge.
Has the pandemic impacted the renovations of Williams-Brice Stadium in any way? No.
When will football practice start? Tanner told SportsTalk SC the plan is for that to start on Aug. 6
Will fans be able to enter at their own risk? Tanner said that won’t be the case, and the department is looking at a range of social distancing scenarios.
South Carolina’s full list of procedures:
“TESTING
▪ Upon arrival at the University, all student-athletes will be given a COVID-19 and antibody test. All student-athletes must have a negative COVID-19 result before taking part in voluntary workouts or the start of practice activities to immediately learn whether the student may have the virus. The antibody test indicates if the student may have previously had the virus.
▪ Any student-athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 will immediately be isolated away from the team and either return home or remain on campus until the end of the isolation period. The University will interview the student to trace contacts that have occurred with the other individuals. Medical staff will provide health monitoring of the student multiple times each day and football staff, dietitians, counselors, and Student Development staff will consistently keep in close contact with the student during the isolation period.
▪ Should a roommate or member of his cluster test positive, the player(s) must quarantine themselves for 14 days from the last exposure of positive individual. Those individuals will be monitored daily by the athletic trainer. If the individuals develop symptoms themselves, they would be referred to the team physician and staff at Student Health Services.
▪ The return to workouts would only occur after the player is symptom free for the 14-day quarantine period.
FACILITIES
▪ All facilities that are to be used by football players have undergone a strict cleaning process to ensure that they are fully disinfected. Touch surfaces in all these facilities will be disinfected at least once per day.
▪ There will be staggered entry and departure from the Long Family Football Operations Building. Cell phones, keys and other personal items are disinfected upon entry into these facilities.
▪ Additional hand sanitizing stations will be in the lobby elevator, all lobby entrances, and the parking garage at 650 Lincoln, the student-athletes’ on-campus housing.
DAILY PROTOCOL
▪ A daily medical check will be administered to each student or staff member before entering the Long Family Football Operations Building. This includes a checklist of symptoms and a temperature check. Student-Athletes who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms will be evaluated by a medical professional for appropriate follow up.
▪ All football players and staff will be required to wear face coverings in public spaces and wash their hands frequently.
▪ Physical distancing with staff and students will be emphasized.
▪ As an added precaution, players will be divided into small clusters. This helps limit any possible exposure to COVID-19 within the football team. Workouts, housing accommodations, eating, and socializing activities will be restricted to teammates in a player’s cluster. Ready-made meals will be available to all players and distributed to keep the player’s cluster together.
▪ Strict protocols are used in the weight room and athletics training spaces, using physical distancing as well as disinfecting of machines and apparatus.
EDUCATION
▪ In addition to the rigorous safety protocols in place, there will be extensive educational efforts including videos, in-person communication and signage.
▪ Medical staff will have an educational session next week with parents of the players on campus to provide them with information and answer questions that they have.
MEDICAL AUTHORITY
▪ All medical decisions related to practice and competition will be made by the medical director in consultation with team physicians and other medical staff.
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
