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SEC agrees athletes choosing to sit out due to virus keep scholarships

Despite the low risk for college athletes, the SEC on Friday afternoon announced that if any of them want to sit out due to the covid-19 situation, they can remain on scholarship.

The action is the result of a unanimous vote of the SEC’s presidents and chancellors following a recommendation of the conference’s athletics directors.

“SEC universities are committed to full support of its student-athletes, whether or not a student-athlete decides to participate in sports during these uncertain times,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in a press release.  “SEC student-athletes have frequently expressed their desire to compete, but it is important for student-athletes and their families to know the financial support committed to them by their institutions will not be at risk because of health concerns presented by the current pandemic.”

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek also released a statement in support of the action:

“The announcement today by the Southeastern Conference that scholarships will be honored for student-athletes, regardless of whether they compete in the fall semester, aligns with the University of Arkansas’ commitment to the 465+ student-athletes within our program. In these extraordinary times, we remain focused on our mission of developing champions and Razorbacks for life. I anticipate that a majority of our student-athletes will choose to compete this year, if given the opportunity to do so. However, it is important for our student-athletes to know if they choose not to participate due to personal concerns related to the pandemic, they will continue to be supported.”

The SEC will continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19 to determine at a later date if the policy should be extended to the spring semester of 2021 or beyond.

The statistical numbers show a mortality ray slightly above zero for people under the age of 25 and, as of Friday, no athletes that reported back to colleges and universities has died.

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said Thursday afternoon they had “less than 10” athletes test positive for the virus and just two staff members.

He added only one had symptoms that lasted about 24 hours.

Torres: Everyone knows what’s at stake if there’s no college football season

With the status of the season up in the air, Fox Sports’ Aaron Torres said Friday afternoon the stakes are huge and everybody knows it.

Torrest was with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.

Yurachek’s full press conference Thursday with Hogs’ covid-19 update

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek’s complete press conference Thursday with an update on “less than 10” athletes and two staffers testing positive and all but one recovered.

Don’t be surprised to see Hogs-A&M in Arlington change sooner than planned

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If there is anything you can bet Jerry Jones knows as well as anyone in football is that contracts are merely the starting point for negotiations to change or cancel them.

For proof of that you can check out the ongoing situation with the Razorback Foundation and Bret Bielema.

Which is why it won’t be surprising to see the Arkansas-Texas A&M game moved to the campuses sooner rather than later and not return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Aggies athletics director Ross Bjork, who has been on the record as not particularly caring for the game, said on the Studio 12 podcast (the official A&M podcast) he may want it moved this year.

The Pac 12 once again playing the second-fiddle lap-dog behind the Big 10 in announcing a conference-only schedule this year and that cancels an Aggies’ home date with Colorado.

“We would need that game on campus,” Bjork said. “To me, that game should be on campus anyway. But if something were to happen this year, we’d do everything we can to move that game to our campus.”

Razorbacks athletics director Hunter Yurachek said Thursday he’s talked with Bjork about it and didn’t exactly appear overly concerned about this year … if Hogs get the same favor the following season.

“I think it would be fair that we get that return game here in Fayetteville next year and then potentially resume in Dallas for the final two years of that contract,” Yurachek said. “I wouldn’t want to see Texas A&M get a home game this year and for us not to get that return game next year.”

With just two years left on a contract that nobody has been particularly excited about the last few years this whole virus thing might give everybody a chance to get creative.

Jones, of course, played for the Hogs. His son Stephen played for the Hogs. His grandson, John Stephen Jones, is currently on the roster. The Jones gave the university the money for one of the top academic and food places in all of college sports.

“Obviously, we have a relationship with the Jones family here,” Yurachek said.

While Jerry has publicly been in favor of the game, the crowd sizes have been dwindling. Arkansas hasn’t won the Southwest Classic since 2011. It’s hard to maintain a lot of enthusiasm for a game one team hasn’t won a game in the stadium in six years.

Attendance has fallen so far they could put the same number of fans they had last year into that stadium and maintain social distancing requirements in the current health crisis.

In other words, that game is generating $3-5 million per game less than it used to.

Yurachek may have a preference, but he also knows the economics of the situation.

“[The Jones] own that venue, so [Bjork’s] feelings on that may be slightly different than mine,” was how Hunter put it Thursday.

Which is the politically correct way of saying he knows who’s name is on the check.

Low numbers and illness from tests at Arkansas probably like everywhere else

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If you’re sitting around waiting on anybody in charge of anything to point out the obvious numbers, well, you’re probably going to be waiting around awhile.

Hunter Yurachek might have come as close as anyone will Thursday afternoon.

“There has been zero transfer of that virus within any of our athletic facilities,” he said in a Zoom press conference.

Nationwide, no players have died. While there are no guarantees, you can rest assured if a player anywhere died from the covid-19 virus it would be huge headlines. To a lesser extent, we haven’t seen any stories of any players being really sick.

“The majority — if not all — of the student athletes and staff that contracted the virus had very few — if any — symptoms that kept them down for no more than about 24 hours,” Yurachek said.

Which pretty much are the numbers we see not just nationwide but around the world. People under the age of 25 years old are more likely to get killed in the street by an automobile than die from covid-19. Look up the numbers.

The data coming out now shows people in school don’t transmit the virus to adults (teachers). While many say they are being guided by “the science,” well there is nothing in the numbers to justify not having school or playing athletics.

Even the consensus in “the science” reduces the chances of surface transmission to negligible. In an outdoor setting, the odds of catching it by droplet transmission reduces even more (social distance if you’re close to somebody longer than a couple of minutes).

No, “the science” says the risks to players and coaches is minimal, at best … if they can keep them from going somewhere else.

“The one thing I will tell you about each of the cases that we’ve had,” Yurachek said. “We’ve been able to trace them to a student-athlete or staff member traveling out of Northwest Arkansas and bringing that virus back.”

Yes, the virus is real and can be serious for the elderly or those that have some sort of underlying medical condition. Yes, there will be exceptions that prove the rule.

But in Arkansas if you test positive for covid-19, you have a 98.9% chance of living regardless of age or medical history. That’s higher, by the way, than some medical procedures considered routine.

Exactly why no one bothers to look at anything beyond positive test results is interesting.

The Hogs’ guidelines are working. Those will also become tighter as the NCAA issued guidelines Thursday for sports.

“As we look to our fall sports, football, volleyball, soccer, cross country, beginning practice the first week of August, our testing protocols will be enhanced at that point in time with rapid response testing on a weekly basis with participating student-athletes in those fall sports,” Yuracheck said. “You may have seen and hour or so ago that the NCAA released kind of a third version of their guidelines and recommendations. They included testing at least 72 hours prior to competition and we’re prepared as an institution and as a conference to fall in line with those plans.”

Yurachek said he feels they reacted to quickly back in March and could have gotten some of the spring sports schedule in. You had the feeling when they shut everything down that was a feeling he had.

Now he’s ready to get things moving forward.

“At some point in time, I feel like we have to move on with our new norm,” Yurachek said.

Which is what college athletics is going to have to do.

Mainly because “the science” doesn’t say anything different.

Holt says Fulmer not showing at SEC Media Days one of biggest memories

Longtime Democrat-Gazette writer Bob Holt recalled Phillip Fulmer’s no-show at the annual gathering one year as a strong memory on Halftime with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis on ESPN Arkansas on Thursday.

Steele thinks Briles can build Razorbacks’ offense to Franks’ strong points

Phil Steele’s college football magazine is out for 2020 and he talked about the national picture, the SEC and the Hogs with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas on Thursday morning.

Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Rakeem Boyd Doak Walker, Phil Steele joins and more!

Tye & Tommy on Rakeem Boyd on the Doak Walker Award watchlist, pressure on Franks, Phil Steele and more!

College Football Analyst Phil Steele joins The Morning Rush

College Football Analyst Phil Steele joins The Morning Rush to discuss the 2020 CFB season, his thoughts on Sam Pittman, and the difficulties of putting his annual magazine together during the pandemic. Check out the interview now!

King on comparing Sankey with predecessors Slive, Kramer, is a tough task

Nashville Sports Radio’s Bill King talked to Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas about comparing SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to Mike Slive or Roy Kramer.