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This offseason has been different, to say the least. With the novel coronavirus changing the way the world operates, it’s affected everything, from bars and restaurants to hair and nail salons to the entirety of the sports world.
The football community, despite being a fall sport, hasn’t been immune, whatsoever.
For Michigan, less than a week before spring ball was set to begin, it was canceled on account of the pandemic. Players eventually made their way to wherever they call home, working out while taking classes remotely. Some remained in Ann Arbor and worked out together with significant constraints, but it certainly wasn’t business as usual.
The team is now back together for voluntary workouts, once again allowed to participate in conditioning activities and player-led walkthroughs in Ann Arbor. However, there are still some significant changes compared to what is usually transpiring in Schembechler Hall.
Senior defensive end Kwity Paye joined Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast this week, and shared just how stringent the preventative measures that are being taken are.
“When we first get into Schem, we have to go through the new inside of Schem,” Paye said. “Once we get there, we have to get our temperature checked and we have to fill out a survey every day to make sure we’re not experiencing any symptoms. Once we do that, we walk in, get our stuff from our lockers and go change. Once you do that, you can never come back from where you came, so you continue in a forward line. So once you get your stuff and change in the locker room, you can’t go back to the locker room – you can’t back through the front way. You have to go back through the locker room, enter onto the field and then you go train and stuff like that. Make sure you wash your hands before you touch any doors, before you touch any bottles, stuff like that.
“It’s good – our guys are doing a very great job of keeping us safe, making sure we’re wearing masks everywhere we go in the building. Just making sure we’re not spreading or contracting the virus in any way.”
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Of course, it’s not just the players who have to take extra steps to ensure they don’t contract COVID-19.
The strength and conditioning staff are taking preventative measures of their own.
“All of the strength coaches have to wear their masks,” Paye said. “If they want to come and spot us or anything, they have to put on an additional head gear equipment that prevents any germs, stuff like that. They have to put on extra layers to really, really prevent (transmission). If you break it down, chemicals, when you touch each other, it breaks down when we’re at rest or whatever. (We stay) six feet apart.”
Paye is relieved to see Michigan taking the matter so seriously. He notes that other programs have had 20-30 positives in some cases, whereas the Wolverines had but two, both whom were asymptomatic.
For the maize and blue, they’re strongly anticipating a 2020 football season, thus, the players are doing everything possible to ensure that, on their part, one can happen.
That means no parties, no congregating, while taking every possible precaution 100% of the time.
“I feel really comfortable walking into the building and leaving the building,” Paye said. “I feel like our guys are doing a great job of keeping everyone safe because we really want a season this year. We told our boys from the jump: ‘People are gonna start coming back to campus and people are gonna want to have fun, but we just have to keep away from all that, because we have a season to prepare for and we don’t want any setbacks. So, make sure you’re staying smart, practice social distancing. Wherever you go, make sure you wear your mask and just stay safe.’ As far as in the building, those guys are doing a great job of getting in and making sure we’re gonna have a season.”
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