The Pac-12 voted on Tuesday to allow all athletes to workout on campus voluntarily starting June 15.
This is recognized as a major step by many as the conference follows suit with many of the others in the country in plans of re-opening. This brings more hope to the possibility of the upcoming college football season.
The conference made the decision after the NCAA announced last week thatit was permitting conferences and schools to reopen for on-campus voluntary athletically related activities in all sports from June 1.
“As educational institutions, our highest obligation is to the health and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff,” Pac-12 CEO Group Chair and University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano said. “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.
Washington State athletic director Pat Chun released a statement following the decision.
“We appreciate today’s decision by the Pac-12 Conference CEO group. The health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our absolute highest priority. Washington State Athletics is preparing for a phased-in return to campus for our student-athletes in the upcoming weeks and the resumption of voluntary, in-person activity will be an important step as we begin preparations for the fall sports season. The policies and procedures we are developing will be built upon industry best practices as outlined by the American College Health Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington State Department of Health, and align with the NCAA, the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, and university guidelines.”
