NCAA Approves Voluntary Team Activities Beginning June 1

According to multiple reports the NCAA Division I Council has approved the resumption of voluntary activities for athletes in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, beginning June 1.

Guidelines for such activities have not been released at this time, nor has the NCAA officially announced or confirmed the vote which took place on Wednesday afternoon. The NCAA will reportedly address additional sports in the next week or two.

The Big Ten’s own suspension of all team-related activities currently runs through June 1 and there has been no indication as of yet if that suspension will be extended or will expire in conjunction with the NCAA’s broad approval of on-campus activities.

For Penn State specifically, what it means is unclear. Any sort of voluntary activities would have to fall within the state’s own guidelines for reopening relative to the COVID-19 virus. Centre County is currently in the yellow phase of opening which prohibits organized sports and gatherings of more than 25 people. Indoor recreation services are prohibited as well, and it’s not clear if or how that would apply to the effectively private and controlled environment of Penn State’s own training services.

In addition, Penn State previously suspended all on-campus learning for the duration of the summer and is scheduled to announce its plans for on-campus learning in the fall by June 15. Penn State President Eric Barron has previously stated that it is his intention to proceed as if in-person learning will be taking place the fall but that those plans could change prior to the pending announcement.

Separately, Penn State has long maintained the position that if campus is unsafe for academics that it is unsafe to require or allow student-athletes to return to campus. It is unclear at this time if that position would continue in the summer, now that the NCAA and potentially the Big Ten, will allow on-campus team activities.

StateCollege.com has reached out to Penn State athletics for further clarification on a few points and will update the story as needed.