The NCAA announced on Friday that Division I athletes will be allowed to return to campus for voluntary workouts on June 1.
The NCAA’s decision on Friday will allow athletes access to facilities, and they can utilize on-campus training equipment. The move, however, pushes back mandatory activities for basketball and football players through the end of June.
The NCAA also extended its waiver for permitting up to eight hours of required virtual nonphysical activities in all sports.
The NCAA essentially shuttered college athletics in mid-March when the organization canceled all of its remaining championships for the 2019-2020 academic year.
In the wake of COVID-19, a number of non-revenue athletic programs have been cut at Division I institutions, largely due to budget cuts.
“The return of voluntary activity in addition to the extension of the waiver to allow virtual, nonphysical activity shows sensitivity to local, state and regional differences in how Division I campuses are reopening,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “We will continue to be considerate of these differences with wise and flexible administration of our regulations, and we expect schools to keep the well-being of student-athletes as a priority.”
A number of athletic directors have spoken out this week about the prospects of a college football season being played this fall. Several athletic directors said that they expect football to be played, but attendance in stadiums could be limited due to the spread of the virus.