Michigan Football can continue voluntary workouts despite postponement of season

The Big Ten presidents voted to cancel the 2020 fall football and sports season. There’s a lot of frustration and disappointment from players and coaching staffs about the decision, along with not having enough answers as to what’s next.

Per The Michigan Insider, one thing the Big Ten has now made clear to Michigan and other teams in the conference is that players will still be able to practice and be at team facilities. The rule states that there can be no more than 20 hours per week of workouts, meetings, and other activities.

The plan right now is for Michigan to keep practicing, and the Big Ten’s plan is to play a season in spring of 2021. There isn’t much good news to go around today but at least Michigan players are still able to be around the team facilities and their teammates if that’s where they feel they should be.

It’s worth noting that out of the last 353 administered COVID-19 tests to UM players and staff, there have been zero positive cases. “As Darryl Conway, our Chief Medical Officer and a member of the Big Ten’s Medical Advisory Group has stated, “I wish that others could see this model,’” head coach Jim Harbaugh said yesterday in a statement.

The program has had no contact tracing in their facilities necessary so far, and zero positive tests among coaches or staff, facts that have Harbaugh confident UM has a safe environment. “We have shown over the weeks since returning to campus that we could meet the challenge and provide our student-athletes the opportunity of a fall football season,” Harbaugh said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.