The chairman of the medical advisory group ACC believes that an autumn season can be played safely, which is one of the biggest reasons that the league stays on course to start the season in September.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a Duke’s disease infection specialist, told Sports Business Daily that doctors have learned enough over the past six months to manage the risk.
“We believe we can reduce it to a level that makes everyone safe,” Wolfe told The Daily. “Can we safely put two teams together on the field? I would say yes. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it be expensive and hard and a lot of work? For sure. But I believe you can take the risk of bringing enough. restrict COVID on the football field or in the training room to a level other than living as a student on campus. “
Last week, the ACC drafted a 11-game league schedule to begin the weekend of September 12th. Ten of those games are in-conference, covering this football season Notre Dame, which means all schools will follow the same test protocols. All non-conference opponents are required to adhere to the same test protocols as well.
But Wolfe has also told Commissioner John Swofford and athletic directors that there is no way to cut risk to zero and that they should be comfortable with some level of risk tolerance.
“You can not tell me that running on a football field is a zero-risk environment,” Wolfe continued. “Look at all the regular sports injuries we accept as a certain level of risk as part and parcel of football. Now the reality is that we have to accept a bit of COVID risk to be a part of that.”
One specific area of concern for the NCAA is myocarditis, a condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle that can be linked to the coronavirus.
The condition is usually caused by a viral infection, including those that cause the fever, H1N1 impact or mononucleosis. Undiagnosed and untreated left, it can cause heart damage and sudden heartbeat, which can be fatal. It is a rare condition, but the COVID-19 virus has been linked to myocarditis with a higher frequency than other viruses, based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence since the beginning of the pandemic.
“There was one new problem that came out, and that was from a doctor who apparently represents the NCAA on myocarditis and the potential impact that would have as a result of COVID,” said Florida State President John Thrasher , Tuesday. “That seemed to be getting a lot of attention nationwide, and it caused a lot of the other conferences to say, ‘Let’s take a step back. Let’s go where we are.’ …
“We agreed that we need to reconsider the medical aspects to make sure once again that our protocols, the protocols of the other teams, are in place. We have done that, and we will probably have another meeting this week, the presidents of the ACC. “
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