Football still part of the plan this fall at UT
AUSTIN — Even as Texas careens toward another potential state lockdown provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic, UT is still charting a course for fall football.
On Monday, three days after Governor Greg Abbott ordered bars to close and restaurants to reduce capacity to 50 percent, the university released some information related to its reopening plans for the Fall 2020 semester. And it seems Texas is still working on a viable plan for a football season that grows more difficult to envision as hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 rise.
“The university is developing policies and procedures for hosting football games and other athletics events this fall pursuant to state, local and Big 12 Conference health and safety guidelines,” interim university president Jay Hartzell wrote in a letter to the UT community. “UT expects to narrow the scenarios under consideration by the first week of August.”
Football players have spent June returning to the Forty Acres in phases. And though the strategy to allow players back for voluntary workouts was developed over several weeks by the university, city of Austin, Big 12 and Dell School of Medicine, all those involved in the planning stages understood there would be a number of players who tested positive for COVID-19.
As of June 29, 13 players had returned positive tests, and 10 more were asked to self-quarantine after coming in close contact with an infected teammate or acquaintance.
“We fully expected that we’d have some COVID-19 cases, and fortunately, most of the student-athletes are experiencing mild or no symptoms, and none have required hospitalization,” Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte said. “We currently are executing our plan for treating, self-isolating and quarantining those infected or contacted. Based on everything we know, the student-athletes are not contracting the virus during their voluntary workouts.
“However, because it appears it is occurring outside of this activity, it’s critical that we continue to reinforce all of the guidelines and best practices for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 that we’ve established.”
The university’s “Return to Campus” task force has not made any major adjustments to its plan to allow for men’s and women’s basketball players and volleyball players to undergo an on-boarding program from July 5-12 before starting workouts July 13.
A community-like spread among football players that in turn could move through coaching staffs and the athletic department as a whole could force Del Conte and his lieutenants to alter those plans, though. And a new wave of stay-at-home orders could further complicate the return of college sports, though Abbott has not yet issued a statewide directive and local state officials remain unable to implement more restrictions.
“We are also implementing policies and procedures to return essential coaches, athletics staff and all student-athletes to campus in the fall for practice/competition pursuant to guidance by the CDC, state and local officials and athletics and campus medical staff,” Hartzell said.
Herman, Abbott partner for PSA
Texas coach Tom Herman partnered with Gov. Greg Abbott to put out a public service announcement about COVID-19.
In the video, published Monday on Abbott’s official YouTube channel, Herman implores Texans to continue wearing masks, social distancing and taking precautions to prevent the spread of a virus as the number of confirmed cases surged past 153,000.
“Right now we need a team effort to stop COVID-19,” Herman said. “We all have a responsibility to protect our health and the health of our loves ones. Wash your hands, practice social distancing, of course wear a mask and, if you can, stay home. Together we will beat COVID-19.”
Herman and his wife, Michelle Herman, have been active volunteers since the pandemic took hold in March, showing up to help out at nonprofit organizations like the Austin Boys & Girls Club, Central Texas Food Bank and
Front Steps Homeless Shelter.
“I think you realize just how in need certain demographics and populations are,” Herman said in April. “Michelle and I were very specific in targeting the places that we were going to donate to, one, because of my history with some of those issues, and hers as well. And two, we really wanted to get something out there that’s on the front lines.”
Junior CB Cook in transfer portal
It appears junior cornerback Anthony Cook intends to transfer from Texas after all.
Though he seemed to flip-flop on the issue earlier this month, tweeting and quickly deleting a message about not playing “another snap” for Texas, the Houston Lamar All-American has officially entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.
Over two seasons at Texas Cook played in 25 games with seven starts and recorded 42 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. And after making six starts in 2019, he was expected to challenge for a key role in new coordinator Chris Ash’s defense.