IOWA CITY, Ia.- Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said Thursday that he is gaining optimism that the Big Ten Conference could safely resume the sporting festival before the new year, but said it would take a “miracle” to start a football season.next month.
“If we were presented with a miracle today and said, “If you take this vaccine, you might not get COVID,” yes, I guess you’d come up with a situation where you could play in October,” Barta told reporters..” I don’t know between this miracle and where we are now, whether we can do it or not.I will wait and see what the medical organization returns to, and then in the end it will depend on the school presidents to compare it.”
On August 11, The Big Ten announced that it would cancel its fall football season due to ongoing pandemic-like protection considerations.
Barta said Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez was leading a committee to expand a new schedule, with features for a winter or spring season, but there is a push, especially from player parents, to start much earlier. than that, with national sports. Radio host Dan Patrick said this week that the October 10 date was being discussed.
This would require the vote of the 14 presidents and chancellors of the Big Ten, Barta said, and he is aware of such a vote.
In addition, Barta’s own Hawkeye athletes will take a break from practice this week after the most recent COVID-19 test run revealed 93 positive cases between athletes and coaches, eleven of whom were Iowa football players.Iowa is unlikely to be in a position to play a football game in just five weeks.
“I feel better today than I felt maybe a month ago, but I know we’re not there yet,” Barta said of playing in the Big Ten again.”As long as I hear anything I know will convince the DDs and presidents that we can move on, I probably wouldn’t say too much until I see it.”
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Barta said Big Ten sports officials talked about what it would take to organize a winter sports season, not to mention postpone the upcoming fall competitions that were canceled. The discussion focuses on medical problems, adding access to COVID-19 tests, a non-unusual protocol.for quarantine of athletes who contract the new coronavirus, and what are the long-term effects of the disease on the center and lungs.
“There will never be a risk-free environment … in sport,” Barta said.”But be sure that medical disorders have been addressed and mitigated enough that our convention is in a position to move forward” is the next step.
PAC-12 announced Thursday that it has a test plan for all its athletes, an important step forward.
And it’s news like this that gives Barta the certainty that the Big Ten probably wouldn’t have to wait until January to resume sports competition, which hasn’t happened between member schools for six months.Meanwhile, three other Power Five meetings: the ACC, the Big 12 and the SEC, are about to start a football season next week.
“I feel encouraged by some of the things I hear that can allow us to start before the part of the year,” Barta said.”We all need to play as safely as possible.”
Barta said Hawkeye’s resolution to prevent all practices was made after seeing “a significant increase” in positive CASES of COVID-19 in Johnson County since the school resumed on August 24.smart hands within Iowa sports facilities.
“I am very comfortable and confident in our testing, our selection and the control of our facilities,” said Barta.
“Lately we’re running with our doctors and running shoes to get back as soon as possible, which we hope will be next week.”