Welcome Back to Football (Terms and Conditions Apply) - The New York Times

You can say this about the college football industrial complex: it knows how to take care of its own.

Iowa rid itself of its longtime strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle on Monday after a long line of former players accused him of abusive behavior, including racist comments.

To make him go away, the school sent Doyle off with a $1.1 million parting gift (along with 15 months of health benefits) — quite a bit more than the $15,000 settlement it paid one of the 13 players who ended up hospitalized in 2011 after one of Doyle’s punishing winter workouts.

As for taking care of the unpaid help, that continues to be a different story.

For all the seeming loosening of rules that would allow athletes to profit from their own fame, and the sudden leap to the side of players who want to see social justice reforms, there is no shortage of reminders that athletic and university leaders treat the concerns of athletes as secondary.

That became increasingly clear as football players returned to their campuses this month for workouts. At Ohio State, the Columbus Dispatch reported, that meant signing a waiver acknowledging the risk of returning during the coronavirus pandemic. It is called “The Buckeye Pledge,” though a more accurate title might be: “Don’t Blame Us.”

The idea came from Indiana University, whose meticulously detailed 17-page document includes which worker will be responsible for maintaining protocols at specific workout stations and what brands of disinfectant the school is using. It also includes a waiver that athletes are required to sign that alerts them that if they do not follow guidelines — like self-quarantining after a positive test or practicing social distancing — they can be dismissed from the team.

The rough translation: wear a mask in public or lose your scholarship.

Indiana’s waiver for football players notes that violators could be dismissed from their team.

Those guidelines, however, were warm and fuzzy compared with those laid out by Southern Methodist, which requires its athletes to absolve the school or its employees from any legal claims related to Covid-19. And, by the way, if there is a lawsuit, S.M.U. is claiming home-court advantage by declaring Texas courts as “the exclusive forum.” (A copy of the release at S.M.U., which as a private school is not obligated to make it public, was obtained by the Dallas Morning News.)

Whether or not such waivers would carry any legal weight — Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said “I’m not sure it would stand up in a court of law" — they are part of a trend among universities attempting to shift responsibility to their athletes rather than providing them safer conditions, said Dr. Kathleen Bachynski, an assistant professor of public health at Muhlenberg College.

In this case, athletes who cannot join the team if they do not sign the waiver could be particularly vulnerable to coercion.

“Their enrollment in college is so deeply tied to football that a student might feel obligated to sign whatever they’re handed so they can keep playing football,” said Bachynski, who added that similar pressures are why concussion symptoms are underreported in football.

S.M.U. Athletic Director Rick Hart and Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass did not respond to interview requests. But Smith, the Ohio State athletic director, said his school’s document is an attempt to manage the behavior of teenagers and young adults while they are away from football, so that they give themselves the best chance to play this fall.

“You have to put yourselves in the shoes of a 17- or 18-year-old,” said Smith, adding that he worries only about the behavior of a small share of the 118 players on the football roster. “When they go to their apartment, we don’t control that environment. We don’t control what they do on the weekends. We don’t control what they do on July 4.”

It is hard to know just how many schools are requiring such waivers — a Pac-12 Conference official said it was necessary to check with each school — but it figures to be many of the 130 schools that play at the Football Bowl Subdivision level if the practices mirror the way that schools are treating coronavirus testing data.

Thus far, about a dozen schools have announced how many athletes or staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus since June 1, when the N.C.A.A. allowed colleges to open their facilities for workouts if allowed under local health guidelines.

After six University of Houston football players tested positive for the virus last week, the school announced that it was halting voluntary workouts. At Iowa State, 10 athletes, including two football players, have tested positive. At Alabama, eight football players were in quarantine last week after testing positive. (For those checking the Iron Bowl scoreboard, Auburn announced last week it had three positive cases.)

But don’t expect anything near a full accounting.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that more than half of the 66 Football Bowl Division schools that responded to a query said they would not disclose testing data, cloaking themselves in privacy laws that prohibit the release of personal information like individual names but say nothing about making public the raw numbers of tests and positive results.

This lack of transparency came as athletes reported to campus amid spikes in coronavirus cases in 21 states — mostly across the southern United States — including Texas, Florida and Arizona. Many schools have students arriving from different regions. Notre Dame, for example, began testing Monday for a return to campus for its players, who hail from 29 states, Washington, D.C., and Germany.

The Coronavirus Outbreak

• Frequently Asked Questions and Advice

  Updated June 16, 2020

  • What is pandemic paid leave?

    The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

  • Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

    So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

  • What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

    Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

  • How does blood type influence coronavirus?

    A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

  • How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

    The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

  • Will protests set off a second viral wave of coronavirus?

    Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

  • My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

    States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

  • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

    Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

  • How can I protect myself while flying?

    If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

  • How do I take my temperature?

    Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.

  • Should I wear a mask?

    The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

  • What should I do if I feel sick?

    If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

  • How do I get tested?

    If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

---

(Thus far, Houston is the only school to report that its cases were symptomatic.)

“It’s not just your broken ankle,” Bachynski said. “You might have come into contact with people you’re spreading that risk to. A pandemic that’s killed more than 100,000 Americans is clearly a situation where ethically you’d need to be sharing the basic numbers as a matter of public health and public safety.”

Of course, ethics and the business of college sports often have difficulty occupying the same space.

Consider how many coaches sit in a recruit’s living room and tell a mother he’ll look after Junior like he’s his own son. What does that look like at Ohio State, which for nearly 20 years did nothing to stop a team doctor from fondling athletes during annual physicals? Or whose current athletic director, Smith, was suspended for failing to alert others that police were investigating domestic violence allegations against an assistant football coach?

At the moment, it looks like this: being required to sign a “pledge” of all the things you will agree to do — monitor yourself for symptoms, quarantine after a positive test, follow the medical staff’s instructions, stay home if feeling sick, frequently sanitize your hands and keep personal and shared spaces clean.

Nowhere does the two-page document detail any steps that are required from the school — like how a player in isolation would get food or medical treatment, or how frequently he and his teammates will be tested. Also, Ohio State is among the schools not releasing any testing data to the public.

But the document does say that the virus is highly contagious and that Ohio State, which has opened its campus for essential programs like elective medical procedures, dental training, lab research and football, is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Still, near the end, it cautions, “I can never be completely shielded from all risk of illness caused by Covid-19 or other infections.” In other words: sign here, you’re on your own.

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