For the third time in a little over a week, Syracuse footballers have chosen not to practice because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Syracuse.com reported that players want the school to perform more routine testing during fall camp. A Syracuse spokesman confirmed that the team did not keep its planned practice on Thursday.
Orange players also sat down last week for the first two days of the fall camp to worry about testing and safety protocols. Coach Dino Babers said he usually met with players when practicing and addressed most of their concerns, which were for the most part related to safety procedures at opposing schools.
Babers repeatedly said that Syracuse’s rate of positive tests was among the best in the country, although as a private institution the school did not release its test data.
Babers also said Syracuse is testing for two weeks during camp. Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack released a statement last week saying that, at the request of the players, the team would be tested twice weekly during the season.
The concerns of Syracuse players were also raised on Thursday at fellow ACC school Florida State, with several of the team’s wide receivers taking to social media to express frustration over a lack of transparency regarding testing.
Meanwhile, Pitt’s planned practice was canceled Thursday, as more than half a dozen players showed symptoms related to COVID-19. The players have all been tested, and the school said it plans to resume practice Friday with all players having virus protocols removed.
“Our medical team decided that it was in everyone’s best interest to temporarily pause our activities at training camp on Thursday so that we could test symptomatic players per our protocol,” Pitt AD Heather Lyke said in a statement. “Based on negative test results received recently [Thursday], it has been determined that we can safely restart the exercise on Friday. “
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