My Two Cents: Next Few Weeks Will Determine What Happens in September

Staying healthy in June with no one contracting COVID-19 as players return to campus for workouts is critical to keep the timeline going for games in September.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — We are less than three months away from the scheduled start of the college football season, and whether it starts on time might very well get determined by what goes on in the next few weeks.

It's just that simple. Or just that confusing.

That's the world we are living in right now.

The first wave of Indiana football players are back on campus in Bloomington, and they're thrilled to be back after three months apart because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Basketball players start arriving later this week, too.)

Felt too good getting back on the field and in the weight room wit my brothas. This is about to be a great year 💯

— Stevie Scott III (@Steviescott8_) June 15, 2020

We in the house😁🔥🏠 pic.twitter.com/TB8n58RFWa

— Matthew Bedford (@MatthewBedfor14) June 15, 2020

But being "together' is a relative term. 

They've returned under the cloud of change. The first group — 68 players with the rest of their teammates coming in phases in the next couple of weeks — were first tested for the coronavirus before they could be around anyone or come to the facility for voluntary workouts. They also have guidelines to follow — both in the weight room and away from it — so that everyone can stay healthy going forward.

But they are also back under a cloud of secrecy. Indiana didn't release the list of players who are back on campus. They also are not going to release any of the COVID-19 test results — even if someone tests positive — citing privacy laws.

And even if five or six guys test positive? Don't expect to hear about it, at least for now.

How all of this plays out in the next few weeks is going to be critical to keeping a timeline intact for a September start to the season. Players — and the coaches and staff around them — are going need to stay healthy during these voluntary workouts. And if they do, the proposed start of organized team activities in mid-July can kick in without a hitch.

And if that goes well, then there will be games. Maybe without fans, or limited attendance, but there will be games.

But that is only — and, I repeat, only — if everyone stays healthy. An outbreak, especially a major outbreak, would be devastating.

And how do we define major?

At the University of Houston, they defined "major'' by immediately shutting down voluntary workouts after six football players tested positive for COVID-19. They clearly weren't prepared to do this right, however, because they did NOT test players when they first returned to campus.

To me, that's completely irresponsible. Knowledge is king right now. If you're going to meld players back into a mix together, you have to know that no one has the virus.

There's too much risk otherwise.

That risk is real, too. Sure, younger people have been able to survive COVID-19 much better than older people, but there are still enough unknown health risks with this virus that it is important that we make sure not one extra person catches it.

At Ohio State, when the Buckeyes returned to campus this week, they were required to sign a waiver acknowledging the risks of returning to school. Before reporting to campus, each player was required to test negative for the virus, or self-isolate for 14 days if he/she tested positive.

Ohio State isn't releasing testing information, either. A spokesperson for the university told BuckeyesNow, our Sports Illustrated Ohio State site, that "the university is not sharing cumulative information publicly as it could inadvertently identify specific individuals."

According to a report by The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State student-athletes were required to sign "the Buckeye Pledge," which asked them to take responsibility for their health and the well-being of their community.

The document also warned athletes that “although the university is following the coronavirus guidelines issued by the CDC and other experts to reduce the spread of infection, I can never be completely shielded from all risk of illness caused by COVID-19 or other infections.”

Indiana has done some of that with its players, giving them guidelines for how to act now that they are back. The weight room has been reconfigured to maintain better social distancing, and workouts will take place in smaller, well-organized groups.

Indiana coach Tom Allen said last week that players who are also roommates will work out together, too, so the number of people they come in contact with will be limited as much as possible, too. 

That is the critical rule right now, limiting contact. All these protocols that have been put into place have been done with the goal that NO ONE gets the virus. And daily temperature checks and health monitoring will matter too, because if someone does get sick, it's imperative to quarantine them immediately to be sure it doesn't spread.

That's the one thing that can blow up this entire plan for a September kickoff, an outbreak that hits several members of the team. It's highly unlikely that a young player who gets COVID will get so sick that they'll die, but what if someone in the quarterbacks room, or the linebackers room, and everyone has to be quarantined for a couple of weeks. It would be almost impossible to practice — or play games if it happens during the season.

Keeping everyone healthy every day in the middle of June is just as important as winning or losing a game in September or October. It's that simple. It's all about beating this virus every day now, so the next step, the next phase, can continue to happen.

The hard part is not knowing, of course. So all we can do is hope for the best, and that everyone stays healthy. 

Win the day, and then win the next one. That's a simple goal, I suppose.