SALT LAKE CITY — Pac-12 football coaches continued to take a wait-and-see approach as to whether the 2020 season will begin on time because of the coronavirus pandemic. Arizona State’s Herm Edwards, UCLA’s Chip Kelly and Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith shared their views on the conference’s third installment of a media webinar Wednesday afternoon.
“There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel. We don’t know exactly how long the tunnel is that we’re in,” Smith said. “But we’re going to get an opportunity to play, get them back and when we get them back we want to do it safely and properly.”
Smith added that his program is working through the crisis day-to-day. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown recently said that all large gatherings in the state, including sporting events, through the end of September “be canceled or modified.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, meanwhile, opened the door for professional sports to resume in the state without fans. From his office in Tempe, Edwards reminded reporters that student-athletes are different. Parents are involved in decisions, too.
“So we can’t lose sight of that,” Edwards said. “Parents are a big factor.”
Edwards noted that it’s always about the safety of the players. Parents want to make sure their sons are safe, he explained, and it’s also the “No. 1 priority for any coach.”
Questions still abound as jurisdictions weigh their options. The situation in California is uncertain with Timothy White, chancellor of the California State University system, announcing that 23 universities in the state will pretty much hold all fall classes online. The group does not include any Pac-12 schools.
Even so, it’s cast a big shadow on fall sports throughout the state.
“The virus will tell us when we’re able to come back and when it’s under control and when they the proper testing and what not in place,” said Kelly, who added that in the meantime UCLA is just going to keep planning for the upcoming season.
“No one has told us that we’re not playing,” he continued. “No one has told us that we are definitely playing.”
The uncertainty, Kelly acknowledged, has led to proper plans being put in place because they don’t want to be surprised. Speaking of which, Kelly credited the conference for keeping everyone informed and mentioned that that they’ll continue to rely on commissioner Larry Scott and his staff for direction.
The final webinar is scheduled for Thursday and features Oregon’s Mario Cristobal, Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin and California’s Justin Wilcox.