Pitt bringing football players back to campus June 8

PITTSBURGH — As the NCAA announced plans to integrate student athletes back on campus, the University of Pittsburgh unveiled its plan to bring football athletes back on campus starting June 8.

The Pitt Athletic Department announced a phased return to voluntary offseason activities. The plan was formulated with guidance from university health experts, local and international health agencies, and does include a plan for an August training camp.

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When students return, each student-athlete will undergo a period of quarantine. Students who are medically cleared will be allowed to participate in the next phase of workout sessions with a maximum of 10 student-athletes participating.

Throughout each offseason phase, the following protocols will be implemented and strictly observed:

• Substantial education for all coaches and student-athletes on Pitt’s safety protocols and their responsibility for maintaining them
• A testing protocol developed with input from infectious disease experts and other medical professionals
• Significantly enhanced cleaning protocols for all athletic facilities
• Mandatory daily screening questionnaire and temperature check for student-athletes and staff
• Utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure and potential virus spread
• Social distancing guidelines for meetings and workouts, as well as strategic use of smaller groups for strength and conditioning sessions
• Contact tracing course completion by all athletics training staff members

“Preparation for the safe return of our student-athletes, beginning with football on June 8, has been a comprehensive team effort,” Lyke said. “Our athletic department has worked diligently with University leadership and medical experts using one guiding principle: the health and well-being of our student-athletes and staff. Our current climate dictates that we stay vigilant and flexible in response to fluid circumstances. However, thanks to the efforts of many outstanding medical professionals, we are confident in our campus return plan.”

Pitt Athletics will utilize a staggered and phased return to offseason participation for each of its 19 intercollegiate programs. Like football, the other teams will progress through various phases of advancing exposure to training, teammate interaction and sport participation.

Return times for the Panthers’ other student-athletes will be announced at a later date.

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