Stanford Sports On Hold Amid Pac-12's Resumption Plans
STANFORD, CA — The Pac-12 Conference is allowing Stanford’s football team start practicing.
But Santa Clara County won’t allow the Cardinal to do so, and that’s put the prospects of competing in an abbreviated season scheduled to start Nov. 6 in question.
Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said in a statement that the school is working with county officials on plans to resume athletics safely amid the coronavirus crisis.
“Santa Clara County guidance does not currently allow us to begin athletic contact practices or competition,” Tessier-Lavigne said.
“We are having constructive discussions with Santa Clara County right now about the health and safety protocols that are needed to resume athletics.
“We deeply respect the thoughtful decision-making our county has undertaken to protect public health throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and we have a shared goal of providing for the safety of our community. We look forward to continued discussion in the coming days that, we hope, will lead to the approval of athletic competition under rigorous health and safety standards.”
Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department issued a statement explaining its guidance that has athletics at The Farm on hold.
“We and other public health experts have ongoing concerns about the transmission risks associated with intercollegiate contact sports, particularly in light of the many COVID-19 outbreaks that have occurred on college and university campuses and on various sports teams,” county officials said.
“After the Governor announced State guidance would be modified to allow PAC-12 sports to proceed, university leaders in the county are requesting our direction on whether intercollegiate contact sports can safely proceed. We are currently waiting for the State to release its revised guidance.
“We will review the new state guidance and proposed university protocols, make local decisions focused on the safety of the entire community, and continue to apply consistent requirements across industries, sectors, and institutions.”
This article originally appeared on the Palo Alto Patch
