With all the concerns regarding COVID-19, you would think every school would want its student-athletes to know in writing that they assume the risk of playing this upcoming year. Some schools have taken this step. Notre Dame has not.
On Monday, it was reported that SMU will require all of its student-athletes to sign a liability waiver before going back to campus for voluntary workouts. Under the agreement, student-athletes cannot hold the university liable for any coronavirus-related issues, and their right litigation is waived. WSBT-TV sports anchor Adam Derengowski later tweeted that Notre Dame does not have such a waiver in place. It doesn’t appear one is in the plans, either.
Just got word back from a Notre Dame Football spokesperson about this issue.
They do NOT have a COVID-specific waiver in place.
Acknowledged that the situation is continuously changing but currently there are no plans to have a waiver in place. https://t.co/hB0qFLB7e6
— Adam Derengowski (@AdamDerWSBT) June 15, 2020
Only Notre Dame knows what’s best for it and its student-athletes, but for those on the outside looking in, it’s risky not to take any action. All it takes is for one student-athlete to get infected, and the athletic department finds itself in quite a predicament. While, it’s good that the university acknowledges that the COVID-19 situation keeps changing, it would help to see some proactive procedures.