Following similar decisions by the other Power-5 conferences, the Pac-12 announced Tuesday that it will allow voluntary on-campus workouts for all sports as of June 15, but that the final decision remains up to the universities and local governments.
USC has not yet specified plans regarding the re-opening of campus facilities to its student-athletes, but Trojans athletic director Mike Bohn released a statement Tuesday evening in response to the conference's announcement.
"Today’s announcement by the Pac-12 Conference, coupled with last week’s vote by the NCAA Division I Council, pave the way for USC Athletics to begin a phased return to campus for in-person, voluntary workouts in the weeks ahead," Bohn said in the statement. "In preparation for these next steps, we have been working tirelessly to develop an athletics health and safety plan in coordination with university leadership, the Pac-12 Conference’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, and state and local public health guidelines.
"With reopening processes beginning in states all around the country, today’s vote is another positive indicator of our progress toward the start of our football and other fall sports seasons. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, it is imperative that we move forward responsibly and with the utmost care for the health and safety of everyone connected to our program, while remaining in alignment with the university’s comprehensive 'Project Restart' effort."
Per the official Pac-12 news release, the conference's decision was made at a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group on Tuesday 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.
According to the release, the Pac-12's decision was made in consultation with guidelines and protocols established by the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, which includes a cross-section of infectious disease experts, physicians, researchers and trainers connected to Pac-12 universities.
“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,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “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.”Momentum has been building in this direction."
As Scott noted, momentum has been building toward this.
First, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that pro sports could resume in the state without fans as soon as early June. Then, a few days later the NCAA cleared the way for conferences to decide whether they want to allow student-athletes back on campus for voluntary workouts as soon as June 1.
The SEC announced on Friday it will allow student-athletes to use facilities on campus for voluntary workouts with strict protocols in place as of June 8, the Big 12 will allow football players back in a "phased return" starting June 15, and the Big Ten and ACC are leaving that decision up to their individual universities, according to ESPN.
Speaking on CNN last week, Scott added that he could envision the conference's football programs starting preseason camp as soon as late July, creating “a nice glide path" to an on-time start of the college football season. And, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, USC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a Zoom interview with West Coast Sports Associates on Thursday night that he -- like Scott -- believe student-athletes are safer at college facilities with all the resources provided them.
Additionally, speaking to TrojanSports.com last week, USC senior associate athletic director Brandon Sosna reiterated optimism for an on-time college football season.
"It feels like we've started to turn a corner and every day there's better news," Sosna said on the Trojan Talk podcast. "... We'll continue working toward the shared goal of beating this virus and getting our world back to normal. And for us that means playing football in the fall. And at this point there isn't anybody having conversations about doing anything other than that. But like I said, we'll adapt as information comes our way."
We'll update this story if USC adds an announcement of its own.
