Adapt, adjust and wait: Pitt planning for return-to-play scenarios

PITTSBURGH — Adapt and adjust – and just wait. That’s the common theme over the last month or so in sports.

The bottom line on college sports this fall: there's no word yet, but they’re still working. University of Pittsburgh Athletic Director Heather Lyke is tackling each day during the coronavirus pandemic with a sense of optimism.

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“We are focused every day on planning and strategizing and developing processes and protocols," said Lyke. "How do we get back? We’re trying to focus on moving forward.”

The goal is to return to play, but to move forward, there’s a long line of protocols in place. They have to comply with guidelines from the university, state and local officials, and the NCAA.

“It’s not going to be detailed out A-Z; we’re not going to have every single answer," Lyke said. "But we will have tried to think through every single scenario and then adjust as new guidelines come.”

Everyone is thinking about fall and football, and Lyke told Channel 11 Pitt is no different.

She explained the Power Five conferences have agreed there has to be a level playing field when it comes to preparing for the season.

“Is that going to be six weeks before the first game?" said Lyke. "What’s the summer look like for football and certain schools? In order for us to really have a fair and competitively equitable situation, we’ve got to have sort of a universal start date.”

And when that happens, will it be with or without fans? That too is a work in progress.

The NCAA is working with the NFL, and both leagues are hopeful they can provide a safe way for fans to attend games this fall.

“Once we get back to whatever that normal looks like, I think people are going to be hungry to connect again,” said Lyke. "They’re going to go do things that they haven’t been able to do for so many months.”

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