Kansas football shuts down voluntary workouts after 12 positive Covid tests

Although the NCAA has allowed football and basketball players to begin working out on campus voluntarily, the spread of Covid-19 across campuses seems to be having a detrimental effect on teams trying to get ready for the 2020 season.

And now another school has decided to end these tune-up workouts, as the Kansas Jayhawks have ended their voluntary workout program due to 12 positive pandemic tests.

Lawrence, Kan. – Kansas football voluntary workouts have been suspended at this time due to an increase in positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Due to the positives within our own program and the increased cases in our region including our student-athletes’ home communities, we believe all football student-athletes and staff should self-quarantine for 14-days, per KDHE requirements and CDC guidelines.

Those student-athletes who are currently in isolation or quarantine will continue on their timetable of quarantine or isolation. At the conclusion of the overall 14-day self-quarantine, all student-athletes and staff will be retested to determine whether conditioning activities will resume at that time.

Student-athletes may self-quarantine at their current housing location – whether on campus or at home if that’s where they are currently for the holiday weekend.

“After the increase in positive COVID-19 tests within our football program, our medical team at Kansas Team Health has recommended discontinuing voluntary workouts immediately,” Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a statement. “We will only resume our preparations after the 14-day quarantine is complete and our student-athletes and staff have been tested for the virus prior to participating in football activities.”

If this was just one school that would be an issue, but now that this has happened at several schools which is showing how much more difficult it is to prepare for the season safely on a college campus. The NBA can afford to spend $150 million on a bubble, but you can’t do that to “student-athletes” you’re not paying, and outside of a few programs most likely couldn’t afford the tab anyway.

And with the spread of the virus increasing all across America, it seems less and less likely that we’ll have college football this fall starting on-time. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott hinted at this yesterday, but for now none the leaders of the FBS leagues have made any official changes.

But each day it seems more likely that’s inevitable.