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There are now no foreseeable games to be played, now that the Big Ten has voted to postpone 2020 fall sports to spring, but Michigan football seems to have something of a silver lining.
The Wolverines started fall camp on Friday, though when the season was in flux, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren halted padded practices as they were set to happen. The assumption is that with the conference’s decision on Tuesday, the players would be done in every capacity save for the student portion of being a student-athlete. However, that’s not the case.
A team spokesman told WolverinesWire that the football program will continue as forward in terms of practicing, conditioning and the like.
“We are allowed to hold voluntary practices, meetings and strength and conditioning under the 20-hour rule through camp,” the team spokesman confirmed. “This was communicated to our administration by the Big Ten.”
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As far as silver linings are concerned, given that spring ball was canceled less than a week before it was set to begin in March, at least the student-athletes will be able to continue working towards their personal and team goals.
Perhaps the fall will work similar to how spring football works, with the team being able to have intrasquad scrimmages and the like. But, per usual, we have to wait to see how everything continues to play out amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At the moment, only one Michigan player has opted out due to COVID-19, in redshirt sophomore running back Christian Turner, who made the announcement just an hour before the Big Ten’s decision came to light.