A Return of Professional Sports Won't Affect Reopening of College Athletics, LSU Football

Vice President Mike Pence's call with conference commissioners Wednesday reportedly was "positive" but preliminary

The million dollar question that's been on every sports fan, player, coach and team's mind over the last four weeks is when and what a possible return would like. On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, offered his thoughts on what the guidelines for sports coming back would look like.

Speaking in terms of professional sports in particular, Fauci said that in order for leagues like the NBA and MLB to return as early as this fall, it would require no fans in the seats, with teams isolated in hotels and tested frequently for COVID-19.

"There's a way of doing that," Fauci said. "Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [the players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. ... Have them tested every single week and make sure they don't wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out."

Fauci's comments run hand in hand with president Donald Trump's optimism that professional sports could return in the next few months. On Tuesday, Trump announced his intentions to meet with various commissioners and key figures throughout the sporting world in an attempt to start reopening the country's economy.

The names include NBA commissioner Adam Silver, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The president is expected to hold a conference call with this select group on Wednesday according to a report from Shams Charania of the Athletic. 

In addition to Trump's scheduled meeting with professional commissioners, vice president Mike Pence held a conference call with college athletics leaders from all major conferences on Wednesday to start the conversation of a potential return in the fall. 

According to a report from Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde, the conversation was "positive" but only preliminary with another call scheduled sometime in the next 30 days.

Pence expressed to commissioners the federal government’s optimism in wide-spread testing quantities that are imperative to reopening the states and having students return to campus—a key in football’s startup.

So what does this mean for the NCAA and LSU? Well, a return of professional sports won't have a direct effect on college athletics for a number of reasons. There are major differences in college athletics returning and pro sports returning.

Vice President Pence has a call with the College Football Playoff Management Committee today.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 15, 2020

The biggest hurdle, in order for college athletics to resume, is the widespread belief among conferences that classes must be in session in the fall before sports can start up again.

However, students being on campus isn't necessary a prerequisite for on-campus athletic activities—like, say, football practice. Pence told college leaders that the Trump administration is expected to roll out a plan Thursday for each individual state to reopen. “There was talk about the importance of campuses being open for athletic events to continue,” one official briefed on the call told SI.

A return to the practice field in football would be a major stride in a positive direction. LSU is already one of the few power five schools that has announced that all summer classes will be held online. 

Whether the college athletes would be allowed on campus during the summer for those potential workouts and practices will be decisions made at a later time. If the college players and staff are tested regularly and are kept in isolation, at the bare minimum scheduled workouts don't seem out of the question.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said the consensus that he has picked up from coaches and athletic directors in his league, and in discussion with leaders of other leagues, is that "teams need six weeks, maybe eight" of workouts to be ready for a football season. "Nobody thinks four is enough."

On Monday, LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt said he would need a month of workouts to feel comfortable just allowing the players back on the practice field.

"It’s my responsibility to make sure they’re in shape before we start any form of training camp," Moffitt said. "For me to do my job, I feel I would need at least a month to prepare."

There are some college coaches hoping a return to workouts in July is a possibility. As of now the most likely scenario is that organized college athletics won't return until August at the earliest.

What happens over the coming weeks with professional sports is anyone's guess at this time, but it will be interesting to monitor how the NCAA responds to what is ultimately decided at the professional level.