Syracuse Football: Strict protocols in place for players’ return next week
By Neil Adler
Syracuse football players and other Orange student-athletes can return to campus on June 8.
Syracuse football players and other Orange student-athletes may begin voluntary training on the Hill starting next week to get ready for the fall-sports schedule, the university announced in a press release posted to cuse.com.
To that end, the SU athletics department has detailed a new operational plan, with guidance from public-health and government officials, to safely reopen facilities and prepare these student-athletes for fall competition amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Members of ‘Cuse football and other sports teams can commence on-campus voluntary training on June 8, and the statement says that football training camp is slated to begin on Aug. 5. The announcement didn’t mention anything about Syracuse basketball players.
A vital component of SU’s operational plan is immediately testing and isolating all student-athletes upon their return to campus. Players will get tested, and isolation will commence, until a negative test result is achieved. That isolation period could last up to 14 days.
The athletics department says that it will implement a multi-phased approach where student-athletes are initially matched up in small pods based on their housing assignments.
Student-athletes, in the first phase, are assigned to pods with a maximum of 10 players when they arrive on campus, and they’re only allowed contact with others in their pod, including staff personnel. These pods are anticipated to grow in size in the plan’s second and third phases, which are likely to get implemented in July.
Syracuse football and other Orange student-athletes will social distance and use protective equipment.
As part of SU’s plan, the university has named Herman Frazier, senior deputy director of athletics, as an infection control officer. Among his duties in this role, Frazier will oversee the cleaning and disinfection of athletic-training facilities, ensure screening protocols are followed, and serve as the first point of contact for any athletics department staff member or student-athlete who may suspect exposure to COVID-19.
Per the athletics department plan, social distancing measures will get enforced and protective equipment, including face masks, will get used in all athletic facilities. All shared equipment will get cleaned and sanitized prior to, and after, each use by student-athletes.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, our staff and the campus and Central New York communities is my top priority. Period,” says Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers in the statement. “We will be rigorous in the testing and monitoring of our student-athletes, and my staff and I will be working diligently to educate our team on prevention and detection.”
The Orange football calendar begins at Boston College on Friday, Sept. 4. The ‘Cuse home opener is against Colgate on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Syracuse athletics director John Wildhack has said that he is planning for some level of reduced capacity at the Carrier Dome during the 2020 football campaign.