NCAA Lifts Ban on Football, Basketball Players Working Out on Campus

Indiana football and basketball players can return to campus on June 1 for voluntary workouts after the NCAA lifted its COVID-19 related ban on Wednesday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The NCAA Division I Council ruled on Wednesday to lift a nationwide ban on on-campus activities from June 1 to June 30, which gives football and men's and women's basketball players the chance to slowly get back to work.

Because of the time of the year, the workouts are considered voluntary, meaning no on-field coaches can have interaction with athletes, but strength staff members are expected to be able to supervise activity. Yahoo's Pete Thamel first reported the news, which was confirmed by Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde and affects activities in only football and men's and women's basketball, for now.

On typical summer days on campus, athletes can spend eight hours a week with interaction from the staff — two hours with on-field coaches and six with strength staffers. It’s unclear when programs will be allowed those normal activities.

Several schools were expecting the ban to be lifted and made earlier announcements this week about athletes coming back to campus. It will be interesting to watch what happens both in Indiana and around the country, because different states are on differing timelines for re-opening the economy.

Ohio State has already announced its plan to start workouts on June 8. Officials at Houston and LSU had formulated plans to return their players as soon as June 1. Recreation centers and gyms are opening nearby many universities, including some on their campuses. Administrators feel that their facilities will provide a safer environment for athletes. At many schools, the coaching staff has already returned to the office, many of them undergoing daily temperature tests and virus antibody testing. 

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