Pac-12 to allow for voluntary in-person athletic workouts beginning June 15

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 announced today that it will allow for voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports to commence on June 15, subject to the decision of each individual campus and where permissible by relevant governmental entities.  The decision to update the Conference pandemic policy was made at a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group earlier today and follows the decision last week by the NCAA to permit conferences and schools to reopen for on-campus voluntary athletically related activities in all sports from June 1.  The Pac-12 decision was informed by a comprehensive set of best practice guidelines and protocols established by the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee.  The Medical Advisory Committee includes a cross-section of the world’s leading infectious disease experts, physicians, researchers and trainers connected to Pac-12 universities. 

“As educational institutions, our highest obligation is to the health and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff,” said Pac-12 CEO Group Chair and University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano.  “As we considered the pros and cons of taking steps that can pave a path to returning to play, those considerations were foremost, guided by the advice of our own medical experts along with public health officials.”

“The Pac-12 is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes, and the decision to allow for voluntary workouts, subject to a determination by each school, is guided by the advice of our medical experts and will be supported by the detailed protocols established by our medical advisory committee in concert with our campus’ own safety guidelines,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott.  “As states have either already opened or begin to open up access to parks, gyms and other training facilities, student-athletes should have the option at this time to be in, what for many, will be a much safer environment on campus, where they can have access to the best available health, well-being and training support.”

The Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee guidelines and protocols, which are being continuously updated based on the best available medical data, cover the following areas in detail: (i) return to campus, (ii) return to athletic facility, (iii) facility specific considerations, (iv) return to exercise and (v) response to infection or presumed infection.  This includes best practice recommendations in connection with testing, contact tracing, monitoring, social distancing, hygiene measures, food service, quarantine and education among others.  Each university will develop its own health and safety plan consistent with the committee’s recommendations along with relevant state and local public health guidance.  A summary of the Medical Advisory Committee’s detailed recommended protocols that have been shared with Pac-12 universities can be found here as well as below:

Prior Update: Monday, March 30, 2020

• No organized, in-person team activities of any type;
• No in-person voluntary workouts, film study sessions, meetings, technique drills or practices of any type;
• Virtual or online supervised voluntary workouts and skill instruction are not permitted, regardless of location;
• Virtual group activities, including film study, are permitted to two (2) hours per week for football and four (4) hours per week for all other sports.  We are appealing to the NCAA to increase the two-hour football limit in the near future;
• Coaches can recommend written, self-directed workout plans, and taped demonstration videos on workout plans are allowed in order to demonstrate proper form and technique;
• In-person, on-campus nutrition may be provided in circumstances where student-athletes are unable to leave campus, and off-campus nutrition is limited to distribution of products normally available on campus;
• It is fully permissible to provide non-athletically related support to student-athletes, including sports medicine treatments, physical therapy and rehabilitation; academic support; and mental health and wellness support; and
• It is permissible for institutions to provide off-campus student-athletes with apparel and personal equipment that is regularly available to student-athletes when they are on campus for conditioning workouts.  It is not permissible to rent, purchase or arrange for conditioning or strength training equipment or machines.

Prior update: Saturday, March 14, 2020