NCAA offers plan to bring athletes back to campus

The NCAA released a long and detailed plan Friday to help schools bring athletes back to campus during a pandemic.

The Resocialization of Collegiate Sports: Action Plan Considerations was announced as schools across the country prepare for the return of football players as early as June 8.

The NCAA’s Division I Council voted last week to l ift a moratorium on athletic activities starting Monday. That cleared the way for voluntary workouts and training to begin at team facilities.

Schools have already started putting plans in place to test athletes, coaches and staff for Coronavirus and implement social distancing. The NCAA says its plan is offered as guidance, consistent with federal and local public health guidelines.

Shortly before the NCAA released its guidelines, the University of North Carolina posted on social media its plan to bring athletes back to campus.

The college football season is scheduled to start around Labor Day weekend, with a few games being played the

Saturday before the holiday weekend. There is to be a full slate of games from Sept. 3-7.

MLB teams cut hundreds with minor league season in doubt

NEW YORK — Major league teams have released hundreds of young players with the minor league season in doubt due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Over 200 players were cut Friday and more than 400 have been released over the past month according to transactions posted at MiLB.com.

The start of the minor league season was postponed in March and players were mostly sent home from spring training. While Major League Baseball and the players’ association are negotiating terms to play big league ball this summer, it’s unlikely there will be minor league games.

Minor league players not on 40-man rosters were promised $400 per week through May 31 by a policy drafted by MLB. At least 15 teams have promised to extend those allowances through at least June, with Oakland the only club known to be ending its stipends at the end of May.

The Chicago White Sox were among the clubs to make cuts, but they will continue to pay $400 per week to the 25 players released last week.

Lower-level players were hit hardest by cuts, with at least 172 players released from the rookie-level Gulf Coast, Arizona and Dominican Summer Leagues.

It’s not unusual for big league teams to release minor leaguers at this time of year. Cuts are routine ahead of the June draft as franchises make space for newly acquired players, and teams also kept more players than usual after spring training this season. It’s unclear if more minor league players are being released this season than normal.

Georgia State to reopen on Monday

Georgia State will begin to reopen its athletic facilities on

Monday.

A maximum of 64 football players will be allowed to voluntarily return to campus. The workouts will be limited to groups of no more than eight players and two members of the strength and conditioning staff per group.