Buffs football director ticketed after more than 100 players hike Mount Sanitas

BOULDER » Boulder has ticketed the director of the University of Colorado Boulder’s football team for a team hike on Mount Sanitas on Thursday that saw more than 100 players on the trails in violation of public health orders.

CU Boulder’s director of football operations Bryan McGinnis was issued a summons Friday for violation of a public health order, according to Boulder officials.

McGinnis was also ticketed for failure to obtain a large group permit, as Boulder Open Space and Mountain Park officials said the football team failed to apply for the permits necessary for a group of more than 24 on open space land.

“The city continues to prioritize education of public health orders rather than issuing citations,” Boulder officials wrote in a statement. “However, law enforcement officers will issue citations for especially egregious behaviors like what occurred during this recent hike.”

According to rangers who investigated the incident after hikers brought the incident to their attention on Thursday, a total of 108 people were in the group and “that many participants were not wearing masks or observing social distancing when passing community members on the trail.”

Face coverings are required on city trails and trailheads and other public spaces in Boulder County when people cannot maintain 6 feet of distance pursuant to a Boulder County Public Health Order. Groups of more than 10 are also discouraged on trails.

CU Boulder Athletic Director Rick George issued a statement Friday.

“Our athletic department has been diligent in ensuring COVID- 19 health and safety protocols are in place and followed by our staff and student- athletes,” George said in the statement. “All student- athletes are tested for COVID- 19 frequently to ensure they are healthy while training. As noted in the county’s self- quarantine directive for students, intercollegiate athletic training is an allowable activity. Our football team took a team hike on Thursday for training purposes. All players who took part had recently tested negative for COVID- 19.

“All of this said, we acknowledge the lapse in judgment and apologize for our football team partaking in a group activity like this on public open space amid the current COVID- 19 climate. We share in the community’s concern and anxiety about the recent spike in COVID- 19 cases, and we do not tolerate actions that are contrary to public health orders.”