Big Ten: Preseason camps won't begin without testing protocols
The Big Ten isn't ready to start fall camps quite yet.
In a letter to its member university athletic directors on Thursday, the Big Ten said that preseason camps won't begin as scheduled until policies and protocols for testing and safety are in place.
"We will not, and cannot, proceed with preseason camp until we are certain that we can do so safely and that will depend, in part, on testing," stated the letter, which was signed by Commissioner Kevin Warren and infectious diseases chairperson Dr. Chris Kratochvil. "Once we have everything in place to execute our testing protocols effectively, including the appropriate number of tests secured for all fall sports, we can make a decision as to whether preseason camp will begin as currently scheduled. We anticipate making that decision within the next 5 days."
The Big Ten went on to state that they would release their medical policies and protocols during the week of August 3. The policies and protocols are being finalized by the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.
The conference announced back on July 9 that only conference games would be played during the fall sports season, eliminating all non-conference contests. For Northwestern, that erased scheduled games against Tulane, Central Michigan and Morgan State.
Thursday's letter said that the new revised schedules will be released in August.
The letter also restated that athlete participation in fall sports in 2020 is optional and that athletic scholarships would remain intact.
"Big Ten student-athletes who elect not to participate in intercollegiate athletics at any time during the 2020 summer and/or the 2020-21 academic year due to concerns about COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarship honored by their institution and will remain in good standing with their team," the letter stated. "Other important decisions, such as future eligibility or team financial aid limits, will be addressed at a later date."