Infectious disease specialist says college football seasons can safely begin this fall

Roughly 24 hours after rumors surfaced that both the Big Ten and Pac-12 could cancel fall football seasons as early as Tuesday due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a piece published by Michael Smith of Sports Business Daily shared claims from an expert who believes college football seasons can safely occur this fall.

"We believe we can mitigate it down to a level that makes everyone safe," Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a Duke infectious disease specialist who also serves as the chair of the ACC’s medical advisory team, told The Daily.

Wolfe continued: 

“Can we safely have two teams meet on the field? I would say yes. Will it be tough? Yes. Will it be expensive and hard and lots of work? For sure. But I do believe you can sufficiently mitigate the risk of bringing COVID onto the football field or into the training room at a level that’s no different than living as a student on campus.”

Wolfe added that, as with other aspects of living through a pandemic, players must assume risks if they wish to compete on fields beginning in late August or September.

“You have to feel some level of comfortable playing in a non-zero risk environment," he said. "You can’t tell me that running onto a football field is supposed to be a zero-risk environment. Look at all of the regular sporting injuries that we accept as a certain level of risk as part and parcel of football. Now the reality is that we have to accept a little bit of COVID risk to be a part of that.”

In late July, the ACC unveiled an 11-game schedule for member programs that includes 10 conference fixtures. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will participate in the schedule and be eligible to qualify for the ACC Championship Game.

On Monday, Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported the Mountain West became the second Football Bowl Subdivision conference to postpone football and other fall sports because of the uncontrolled virus outbreak. The Mid-American Conference announced the postponement of fall sports on Saturday.