Covid-19 Effect on College Basketball & Other Sports

[rhodylaw]

Fear of being sued is a bigger factor I think than actual player safety - they can do college sports relatively safely. Probably safer than the youth sports happening now. The difference is you local little league doesn’t have deep pockets to worry about (mostly).

It is why liability protection is key to getting things going again. If college football fans understood that is what is holding up some form of season they would be calling their congressman every day until they passed the liability protections that are trying to be made a part of the stimulus.

[RI_Rams]

Well, it's clear the south doesn't care about safety. They just want to play the games and win the championship. If they cared, they would've followed the B1G and PAC-12.

I thought lawsuits were not feasible because it is difficult to prove contracting coronavirus from playing? Or I may have heard wrong. That suing for coronavirus would not necessarily result in a victory.

[Rhodymob05]

Players all over the country are partitioning to play. It’s not just the south.

[NC_Ram]

In NC, ECU police reporting they have shut down over 20 parties this past week, one was a block party 400+ people. New covid clusters at ECU, UNC, UNCC.

Campuses will remain a powder keg until students adhere to guidelines put out by Govt, Univ and medical professionals.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Fear of being sued is a bigger factor I think than actual player safety - they can do college sports relatively safely. Probably safer than the youth sports happening now. The difference is you local little league doesn’t have deep pockets to worry about (mostly).

It is why liability protection is key to getting things going again. If college football fans understood that is what is holding up some form of season they would be calling their congressman every day until they passed the liability protections that are trying to be made a part of the stimulus.

The problem with liability protection is that it gives businesses carte blanche to ignore safety protocols and force employees to work in unsafe conditions. Non-union workers in this country have too few protections already.

[ramster]

Well, it's clear the south doesn't care about safety. They just want to play the games and win the championship. If they cared, they would've followed the B1G and PAC-12.

I thought lawsuits were not feasible because it is difficult to prove contracting coronavirus from playing? Or I may have heard wrong. That suing for coronavirus would not necessarily result in a victory.

Kids in Rhode Island are playing Little League Baseball, Girl's Softball, High School Summer Baseball Leagues. School Starts in Rhode Island on September 14th. Can they sue?
Players do not have to play College Football, some are choosing NOT to play. Some NFL, MLB and NBA Players are choosing NOT to play. If they decide to play they sign a Waiver prepared by Lawyers.
What about the rights of the players in the PAC10 and BIG10 who want to play? Guess they have no choice - maybe they transfer to SEC, BIG12 and ACC Teams. Will be interesting to see how recruiting is impacted.

[rjsuperfly66]

https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/list ... l-in-2020/

While at first blush these liability waivers, that purport to free these companies from any liability for your injuries should something go wrong, look valid and enforceable, there are often roadblocks. These roadblocks might prevent schools from using them as a “get back to football free” card.

Different jurisdictions treat liability waivers differently, which speaks to the uncertainity around them should college athletes across the FBS level enter into them in an effort to return to the field.

Let’s take three schools as a hypothetical: The University of Virginia, the University of Wisconsin, and Penn State. For the sake of the hypothetical, an athlete from each school signs a waiver to return to the playing field, and contracts COVID-19. Each athlete then brings a negligence suit against their respective school, saying that the institution did not do enough to protect them against the transmission of COVID-19. “Not so fast my friend,” the schools retort, as they whip out the various signed copies of the waiver.

The likely result? The students at Wisconsin and Virginia likely get their days in court, whereas the student in Pennsylvania might be completely out of luck.

That is because with fifty different jurisdictions, you have fifty different sets of applicable precedent. For example, Virginia is one of three states that has gone as far as to consider liability waivers void. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s position dates back to Johnson’s Adm’x versus Richmond and Danville R.R. Co., a case decided back in 1890. In that case a worker hired to remove granite for a railroad signed a waiver protecting the company if the worker was injured or killed on the job. The worker was then killed on the job, and his family brought suit. The court in that case held that such a waiver was against public policy, and was therefore void.

This decision in Virginia was upheld recently, in a case perhaps more on point. In Hiett v. Lake Barcroft Community Association, a 1992 case, a tri-athlete signed a liability waiver before entering into a triathlon in Virginia. He was injured when diving into a lake, and the extent of the injury left him paralyzed. He sued the owner of the lake, and in its defense the owner pointed to the liability waiver signed prior to the event. The Supreme Court of Virginia, relying on the precedent set in Johnson, ruled that the suit could go forward because such waivers are against public policy.

Virginia is not alone in states that bar such waivers, although some cracks are starting to appear in the other jurisdictions. In Louisiana, however, Article 2004 states that:

Any clause is null that, in advance, excludes or limits the liability of one party for intentional or gross fault that causes damage to the other party.

Any clause is null that, in advance, excludes or limits the liability of one party for causing physical injury to the other party.

So players at LSU that sign such an agreement, that would likely be found unenforceable in Louisiana.

Then there are other states that have weakened the impact of liability waivers, including Wisconsin in our hypothetical. In Atkins v. Swimwest Family Fitness Center, a family sued when their young child drowned using a pool. The athletic facility defended the case on the basis of the liability waiver signed by the parents prior to the child using the pool, and upon review the Supreme Court of Wisconsin held that such waivers are against public policy. Other states with similar caselaw include Arizona (Phelps v. Firebird Raceway, Inc), New Mexico (Berlangieri v. Running Elk), West Virginia (Kyriazis v. University of West Virginia), Connecticut (Reardon v. Windswept Farm, LLC, et al.), and Vermont (Dalury v. S-K-I, Ltd).

As such, with this messy, unsettled area of law from jurisdiction, you can see how trying to enforce such waivers might lead to trouble for many colleges and universities.

This naturally leads us to another pillar of contract law: The idea of unequal bargaining partners. If there are two parties to a contract, but one has a massive advantage in terms of bargaining power, the contract that is executed is often found to be unenforceable as a violation of public policy. Perhaps the most extreme example might be that of someone holding a gun to your head to force you to sign a contract. The bargaining power there is anything but equal.

But what if the means being used was the threat of a scholarship?

Courts could find that athletes who entered into these agreements did so under duress, whether in fear of losing a scholarship, their position, or some combination thereof. That would call into question the formation of the underlying contract and allow litigation in such a hypothetical to proceed, even with a signed waiver in place.

Oh, and there is one last thing that might make these waivers a non-starter.

The NCAA explicitly banned liability waivers

Facing pending legislation from Senators Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal, the NCAA revoked COVID-19 liability waivers. During testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, NCAA President Mark Emmert stated:

"I am categorically opposed to it. It is an inappropriate thing for schools to be doing."

In a joint statement the two senators praised the NCAA’s position on revoking such waivers, stating that:

This is the right move to protect athletes. COVID-19 liability waivers that put school profit over athlete welfare should be banned across the board, and no athlete should have to decide between their health and their education. For two months, athletes who were coerced into signing these waivers didn’t know what would happen if they got sick – would their schools be held accountable? Would they lose their scholarships? We need strong, clear, and enforceable standards that make athlete health and safety a non-negotiable priority.

[RI_Rams]

In NC, ECU police reporting they have shut down over 20 parties this past week, one was a block party 400+ people. New covid clusters at ECU, UNC, UNCC.

Campuses will remain a powder keg until students adhere to guidelines put out by Govt, Univ and medical professionals.

You are correct. We are our own worst enemies. Looking back, it would have been best idea for states to lockdown for a period. We'd probably be in a better situation than right now.

[RI_Rams]

Well, it's clear the south doesn't care about safety. They just want to play the games and win the championship. If they cared, they would've followed the B1G and PAC-12.

I thought lawsuits were not feasible because it is difficult to prove contracting coronavirus from playing? Or I may have heard wrong. That suing for coronavirus would not necessarily result in a victory.

Kids in Rhode Island are playing Little League Baseball, Girl's Softball, High School Summer Baseball Leagues. School Starts in Rhode Island on September 14th. Can they sue?
Players do not have to play College Football, some are choosing NOT to play. Some NFL, MLB and NBA Players are choosing NOT to play. If they decide to play they sign a Waiver prepared by Lawyers.
What about the rights of the players in the PAC10 and BIG10 who want to play? Guess they have no choice - maybe they transfer to SEC, BIG12 and ACC Teams. Will be interesting to see how recruiting is impacted.

Probably cannot sue. The decision to opt out is only natural. Same should be for school, I don't know what the options are for RI schools... can they choose in-person or virtual/online?

The B1G and PAC-12 may have acted too quickly in the eyes of many, but they are placing player and student safety first. Look at it like this, college students aren't employees. They are playing college sports on their scholarships, where pro athletes are playing for pay. If they want to play, they have the right to, even if the circumstances are dangerous. I know it sucks for the B1G and PAC-12 student-athletes, but there is not much they can do.

[Rhody83]

[ramster]

https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/list ... l-in-2020/

While at first blush these liability waivers, that purport to free these companies from any liability for your injuries should something go wrong, look valid and enforceable, there are often roadblocks. These roadblocks might prevent schools from using them as a “get back to football free” card.

Different jurisdictions treat liability waivers differently, which speaks to the uncertainity around them should college athletes across the FBS level enter into them in an effort to return to the field.

Let’s take three schools as a hypothetical: The University of Virginia, the University of Wisconsin, and Penn State. For the sake of the hypothetical, an athlete from each school signs a waiver to return to the playing field, and contracts COVID-19. Each athlete then brings a negligence suit against their respective school, saying that the institution did not do enough to protect them against the transmission of COVID-19. “Not so fast my friend,” the schools retort, as they whip out the various signed copies of the waiver.

The likely result? The students at Wisconsin and Virginia likely get their days in court, whereas the student in Pennsylvania might be completely out of luck.

That is because with fifty different jurisdictions, you have fifty different sets of applicable precedent. For example, Virginia is one of three states that has gone as far as to consider liability waivers void. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s position dates back to Johnson’s Adm’x versus Richmond and Danville R.R. Co., a case decided back in 1890. In that case a worker hired to remove granite for a railroad signed a waiver protecting the company if the worker was injured or killed on the job. The worker was then killed on the job, and his family brought suit. The court in that case held that such a waiver was against public policy, and was therefore void.

This decision in Virginia was upheld recently, in a case perhaps more on point. In Hiett v. Lake Barcroft Community Association, a 1992 case, a tri-athlete signed a liability waiver before entering into a triathlon in Virginia. He was injured when diving into a lake, and the extent of the injury left him paralyzed. He sued the owner of the lake, and in its defense the owner pointed to the liability waiver signed prior to the event. The Supreme Court of Virginia, relying on the precedent set in Johnson, ruled that the suit could go forward because such waivers are against public policy.

Virginia is not alone in states that bar such waivers, although some cracks are starting to appear in the other jurisdictions. In Louisiana, however, Article 2004 states that:

Any clause is null that, in advance, excludes or limits the liability of one party for intentional or gross fault that causes damage to the other party.

Any clause is null that, in advance, excludes or limits the liability of one party for causing physical injury to the other party.

So players at LSU that sign such an agreement, that would likely be found unenforceable in Louisiana.

Then there are other states that have weakened the impact of liability waivers, including Wisconsin in our hypothetical. In Atkins v. Swimwest Family Fitness Center, a family sued when their young child drowned using a pool. The athletic facility defended the case on the basis of the liability waiver signed by the parents prior to the child using the pool, and upon review the Supreme Court of Wisconsin held that such waivers are against public policy. Other states with similar caselaw include Arizona (Phelps v. Firebird Raceway, Inc), New Mexico (Berlangieri v. Running Elk), West Virginia (Kyriazis v. University of West Virginia), Connecticut (Reardon v. Windswept Farm, LLC, et al.), and Vermont (Dalury v. S-K-I, Ltd).

As such, with this messy, unsettled area of law from jurisdiction, you can see how trying to enforce such waivers might lead to trouble for many colleges and universities.

This naturally leads us to another pillar of contract law: The idea of unequal bargaining partners. If there are two parties to a contract, but one has a massive advantage in terms of bargaining power, the contract that is executed is often found to be unenforceable as a violation of public policy. Perhaps the most extreme example might be that of someone holding a gun to your head to force you to sign a contract. The bargaining power there is anything but equal.

But what if the means being used was the threat of a scholarship?

Courts could find that athletes who entered into these agreements did so under duress, whether in fear of losing a scholarship, their position, or some combination thereof. That would call into question the formation of the underlying contract and allow litigation in such a hypothetical to proceed, even with a signed waiver in place.

Oh, and there is one last thing that might make these waivers a non-starter.

The NCAA explicitly banned liability waivers

Facing pending legislation from Senators Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal, the NCAA revoked COVID-19 liability waivers. During testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, NCAA President Mark Emmert stated:

"I am categorically opposed to it. It is an inappropriate thing for schools to be doing."

In a joint statement the two senators praised the NCAA’s position on revoking such waivers, stating that:

This is the right move to protect athletes. COVID-19 liability waivers that put school profit over athlete welfare should be banned across the board, and no athlete should have to decide between their health and their education. For two months, athletes who were coerced into signing these waivers didn’t know what would happen if they got sick – would their schools be held accountable? Would they lose their scholarships? We need strong, clear, and enforceable standards that make athlete health and safety a non-negotiable priority.

Maybe instead of worrying about all this liability the Colleges and Universities should manage their own student populations.....what a disaster of a start.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/virus-cluste ... 25071.html

[rjsuperfly66]

I think you are right but it all connects - These schools can say all the right things regarding football and safety protocols but it’s much bigger than just football. The students are getting back to school and partying it up on these campuses — do they think the athletes are going to live in a bubble and avoid acting like an 18-22 year old?

I fully believe that if a sport were to bubble, that is something I’d be ok with. If a conference had schools remote learning and they wanted to put kids up in a luxury hotel and play basketball, that is absolutely a situation where the kids are safe, the coaches are safe, and the integrity of a season should be maintained.

This college football experiment is going to be all fun and games until the first major matchup(s) get shut down due to covid.. then it happens again... and again... and again... and then one program shuts it down mid season... and another one... and another one... and all fans can hope for is that the major contenders aren’t battered too bad and the season is able to finish.

That’s where the conferences should have all come together and agreed on trying for a spring season. Even if they force this football season to a conclusion, it’s not going to be without major hiccups. How many weeks does it take for the first story about a player who should have been quarantined but played anyway? How long until the first major team outbreak? How long until the first cancelled game? Or at the very least game where several star players don’t play?

All it takes is 1, maybe 2 losses, and a teams season is over. It’s not baseball where a team can go .500 and still make the playoffs.

[RF1]

In NC, ECU police reporting they have shut down over 20 parties this past week, one was a block party 400+ people. New covid clusters at ECU, UNC, UNCC.

Campuses will remain a powder keg until students adhere to guidelines put out by Govt, Univ and medical professionals.

After just a week with students back on campus taking classes, UNC has reversed course and shut down going online.

UNC-Chapel Hill moves all classes online after 130 more students infected with COVID-19
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local ... rylink=cpy


Boston College is supposedly take a very pro-active approach to the likelihood that students may not adhere to social distancing rules.

Boston College is hiring a police detail to shut down student parties amid COVID-19, city councilor says
https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus ... iz-breadon

[Rhody74]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

[RI_Rams]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

That's right. Purposely ignore the guidelines and break the rules. Schools had to be extremely naive to think it was the right decision to bring kids back to campus now...

[RF1]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

It is unfortunately not just the college aged kids. Many just a few years out of college are not taking the proper precautions as well. They are still going out with friends and traveling. In this summer with a pandemic raging, my own 25 year old niece has already done 4 separate multi-day overnight (hotels & rentals) vacation trips to Delaware, Maine, Cape Cod, and now NH with some of these actually in defiance of the local rules at that time. This despite an ongoing health crisis which necessitated her workplace going remote in March with no plans to reopen until some time in 2021. Many people, especially the young, are carrying on like there is absolutely nothing to worry about. While they may not personally experience the worst reaction to this virus, they can still very easily transmit it others who may suffer far more. Their behavior is a big reason why this virus still continues to spread at an alarming rate.

[SGreenwell]

It's almost like you can't trust any big group of people to act in a proper way - there are always going to be bad actors. That's why it's nice to have like, maybe it could a nationwide authority that coordinate this, and oversee things, in a way that gave us some measure of confidence. We should try that out sometime.

[ramster]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

It is unfortunately not just the college aged kids. Many just a few years out of college are not taking the proper precautions as well. They are still going out with friends and traveling. In this summer with a pandemic raging, my own 25 year old niece has already done 4 separate multi-day overnight (hotels & rentals) vacation trips to Delaware, Maine, Cape Cod, and now NH with some of these actually in defiance of the local rules at that time. This despite an ongoing health crisis which necessitated her workplace going remote in March with no plans to reopen until some time in 2021. Many people, especially the young, are carrying on like there is absolutely nothing to worry about. While they may not personally experience the worst reaction to this virus, they can still very easily transmit it others who may suffer far more. Their behavior is a big reason why this virus still continues to spread at an alarming rate.

The Students at UNC have nobody to blame but themselves. UNC took the step to now go online. Then these students and/or parents will whine, blame anybody but themselves. They will gripe and say they deserve a refund - good luck with that. They party, don't wear masks and then they get to have online classes only. They got what they deserve. This should be a good lesson for all other schools that have not yet started or that have started.

No reason why students should have a different set of rules than all others. Good for UNC.

[Billyboy78]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

It is unfortunately not just the college aged kids. Many just a few years out of college are not taking the proper precautions as well. They are still going out with friends and traveling. In this summer with a pandemic raging, my own 25 year old niece has already done 4 separate multi-day overnight (hotels & rentals) vacation trips to Delaware, Maine, Cape Cod, and now NH with some of these actually in defiance of the local rules at that time. This despite an ongoing health crisis which necessitated her workplace going remote in March with no plans to reopen until some time in 2021. Many people, especially the young, are carrying on like there is absolutely nothing to worry about. While they may not personally experience the worst reaction to this virus, they can still very easily transmit it others who may suffer far more. Their behavior is a big reason why this virus still continues to spread at an alarming rate.

The Students at UNC have nobody to blame but themselves. UNC took the step to now go online. Then these students and/or parents will whine, blame anybody but themselves. They will gripe and say they deserve a refund - good luck with that. They party, don't wear masks and then they get to have online classes only. They got what they deserve. This should be a good lesson for all other schools that have not yet started or that have started.

No reason why students should have a different set of rules than all others. Good for UNC.

While I consider myself to be a very responsible person at the age of 63, I'm pretty sure I was pretty irresponsible at the ages of 18, 19, 20 and 21. I'm sure many people will say the same. This will repeat at hundreds of colleges across the country.

[rambone 78]

I've been saying this for months now.....virtually all schools, secondary and college level, will revert back to online learning sooner rather than later.

I also just returned from a trip to NH, where it seems that most people are acting like "what virus?" no masks in sight.

Just because there are very few cases there right now, doesn't mean it will stay that way, especially with schools opening.

I expect that bars and indoor dining will be closed down again pretty soon, when the next spike happens.

Not just in NH, but here too.

My grandsons who live in Utah are playing middle school football already...I'm afraid that they will get sick soon....masks are optional there, and of course when they are optional nobody is wearing them.

[theblueram]

One would think Narragansett would be having an explosion of cases with the packed beaches and restaurants and bars. So far, nothing. And 2 out of 3 plates are out of state.

[SGreenwell]

One would think Narragansett would be having an explosion of cases with the packed beaches and restaurants and bars. So far, nothing. And 2 out of 3 plates are out of state.

Wouldn't that mean the opposite? They'll be visiting the beaches, and then going back home to Cumberland, Stonington, Mystic, Long Island, wherever, and adding to the numbers in those places. Most of the actual residents of Narragansett probably aren't the ones hanging out so much on the beaches.

[theblueram]

One would think Narragansett would be having an explosion of cases with the packed beaches and restaurants and bars. So far, nothing. And 2 out of 3 plates are out of state.

Wouldn't that mean the opposite? They'll be visiting the beaches, and then going back home to Cumberland, Stonington, Mystic, Long Island, wherever, and adding to the numbers in those places. Most of the actual residents of Narragansett probably aren't the ones hanging out so much on the beaches.

That's being a bit facetious Steve. The vacationers are in Shaws and Stop and Shop. In bars and restaurants. You think gansett residents aren't going out as well?

[theblueram]

Speaking of bars, I heard the Tiki bar at Georges is a big hit this summer.

[steviep123]

for what it's worth, my company (Mass based with 6 facilities in Mass, one in Atlanta, and another in Minnesota) told us today, no one would be required to return to the office until at least January. They opened one building in Canton. Anyone who currently has an office in Canton can go in if they want to (but only in the week you are assigned - every week has a color code and you can only go in on the week whose color it is). No one is allowed in the office on Fridays to allow for 3 days of no one there (and cleaning/sterilizing). They will be opening the Foxboro facility on October 1 with the same rules. Anyone that does not have an office in either building but wishes to go in, can request a temporary desk in one of those two buildings, again following the rules of only going in on designated weeks and never on a Friday. The colored weeks are designed so that no desk of the same color faces each other or is within a certain distance. The closest two people could sit to each other in the same week is 11 feet.

So it's kind of fair that if you're struggling to work from home you have options without being forced to go in if you don't feel safe.

[Rhody74]

Now it’s Notre Dame .....

https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-ena ... struction/

[RF1]

Now it’s Notre Dame .....

https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-ena ... struction/

Notre Dame only brought its students back on campus to justify playing football this fall. They have no issue sacraficing them for football dollars. Will work to have them back in classrooms asap for its football program.

[NYGFan_Section208]

19 and 20 year olds are gonna party whether it’s at UNC, BC or URI. That’s why I am not hopeful that the basketball season will start in November.

If it's not "safe" enough to party, not safe enough to hoop either...

[NYGFan_Section208]

for what it's worth, my company (Mass based with 6 facilities in Mass, one in Atlanta, and another in Minnesota) told us today, no one would be required to return to the office until at least January. They opened one building in Canton. Anyone who currently has an office in Canton can go in if they want to (but only in the week you are assigned - every week has a color code and you can only go in on the week whose color it is). No one is allowed in the office on Fridays to allow for 3 days of no one there (and cleaning/sterilizing). They will be opening the Foxboro facility on October 1 with the same rules. Anyone that does not have an office in either building but wishes to go in, can request a temporary desk in one of those two buildings, again following the rules of only going in on designated weeks and never on a Friday. The colored weeks are designed so that no desk of the same color faces each other or is within a certain distance. The closest two people could sit to each other in the same week is 11 feet.

So it's kind of fair that if you're struggling to work from home you have options without being forced to go in if you don't feel safe.

Been working at home for at least a dozen years. Employer has offices all over the country. Blanket approach is no one goes back until January at least, and many will likely never go back. Most of those that work for me work from home, only one wants to go back to the office.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

George W. Bush once said: “When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.” I sure as hell was, and many of us can say the same.

[SmartyBarrett]

[rjsuperfly66]

My problem with this thought is that it's not true.

The idea of a bubble is isolating a team into an environment where the risk of COVID is virtually non-existent.

NBA, NHL, WNBA -- no positive tests in a long time.

Why? Because the players are confined to an environment where COVID should not be able to get in.

While players on a college campus may now have less exposure with less students on campus, it doesn't prevent them from acquiring it elsewhere.

Player X can still invite over his girlfriend, can still go to the mall, to the movies, to the market, can still go to restaurants, or places on campus with staff that have not isolated.

Can that player still get COVID and spread it to others? Yup. It'll blow up a teams OOC almost immediately.

I think Coach Cal had the right idea a few days ago. Many little bubbles may be the only way to make it work.

Example: You can put PC, URI, Bryant, and Brown into a hotel up in Providence. Test the shit out of them, make sure they are all clean, maybe throw a practice court in a ballroom so the team can still practice.

Then you go 3 games in 4-5 nights at the Dunk, knowing that the teams should all be COVID-free. Everyone should have been isolated upon arriving at the hotel so any positive tests should be sent right home.

If you did that 2-3 times, you might be able to play some OOC games. But don't see any OOC games without a vaccine and keeping players on an open campus.

[bigappleram]

Due to the vastness and size of college hoops plans that greatly mitigate risk (ie a semi bubble when school is off session) may be more feasible than complete risk elimination (NBA model). If there was rapid and reliable testing there are many more options in terms of how to conduct it in a highly safe manner and bring risk way down. Without that type of testing it's impossible.

[rjsuperfly66]

I think football will have a lot to do with that.

If football goes relatively seamlessly, it should at least give school's some level of confidence that basketball with 1/6 the roster size should be able to do the same, from an on-campus perspective.

If football has a lot of issues, or worst case gets shut down, there's no way basketball is played without a true bubble or a vaccine.

Under that situation, I think most basketball seasons are cancelled as many conferences can't afford to bubble, and likely an abbreviated 16/32 team tournament is played.

[rjsuperfly66]

The NCAA Board of Directors approved a blanket waiver Friday, which will allow fall sports athletes to retain their eligibility for the 2021-22 season.

According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, that means athletes will retain a year of eligibility regardless of whether or not they participate in their fall sport's 2020-21 season.

For example, if a senior football player plays this season in the fall or spring, they will still be eligible to return next season. Auerbach noted that senior athletes who want to return next season will not have their scholarships counted against the limit of their schools.

Those who were concerned about wasting a year of eligibility in 2020 on a season that may not crown a true national champion can now play without losing that year.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/290 ... d-covid-19

The board on Friday also determined that schools can't require student-athletes to waive their legal rights regarding COVID-19 as a condition of participation. Schools are also prohibited from canceling or reducing scholarships if an athlete decides not to participate because of COVID-19.

The board of directors on Friday also made a commitment for Division I to work toward hosting "scaled-back fall championships in the spring." Board members cautioned that fall championships should only be played in the spring if they can be conducted safely and in accordance with federal, state and local health guidelines." Any final decisions on bracket sizes and composition will be approved by the board.

The NCAA said in a release that the priority remains "preserving opportunities for winter and spring sport student-athletes who did not have the chance to participate in the NCAA championships in 2019-20.

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/sto ... l-athletes

[ramster]

[RF1]

What is everyone's guess on how soon after URI starts up that we start to see news about big parties and no social distancing and mask wearing by students? Day 1? Day 2?

[Billyboy78]

What is everyone's guess on how soon after URI starts up that we start to see news about big parties and no social distancing and mask wearing by students? Day 1? Day 2?

An hour or so?

[Rhodymob05]

Theres been large parties all summer.

[NYGFan_Section208]

What is everyone's guess on how soon after URI starts up that we start to see news about big parties and no social distancing and mask wearing by students? Day 1? Day 2?

I'm guessing that they don't make it a month before everyone is sent home...IF they even fully get back.
What's different now from 3 weeks ago...or will be different three weeks from now?

[hrstrat57]

Just back from another long and most excellent walk on campus.

Empty.

Enjoying it while we can kids come back I won’t be strolling around.

[ramster]

Speaking of bars, I heard the Tiki bar at Georges is a big hit this summer.

Yes it is. George’s has beach roped off with tables and chairs for eating and drinking - took part of what was the Galilee Beach. Popular place. Nice to watch the boats come and go especially the Block Island Ferry’s.

[ramster]

What is everyone's guess on how soon after URI starts up that we start to see news about big parties and no social distancing and mask wearing by students? Day 1? Day 2?

I'm guessing that they don't make it a month before everyone is sent home...IF they even fully get back.
What's different now from 3 weeks ago...or will be different three weeks from now?

Where RI currently ranks based on last 7 days:

32nd Rhode Island had the 32nd-most newly identified cases of coronavirus, per capita, among the 50 states, over the last seven days.

33rd Rhode Island had the 33rd-most deaths from coronavirus, per capita, among the 50 states, over the last seven days.

26th Rhode Island has the 26th-most COVID-19 patients in hospitals, per capita, among the 50 states.

9th Rhode Island had the 9th-lowest percentage of positive coronavirus tests among the 50 states over the last seven days.

2nd Rhode Island has conducted the 2nd-most coronavirus tests, per capita, of the 50 states during the last 7 days.

12th Rhode Island has the 12th-highest unemployment rate among the 50 states.

13th Rhode Island has had the 13th-most known coronavirus cases per capita among the 50 states since the beginning of the pandemic.

6th Rhode Island has had the 6th-most deaths per capita among the 50 states since the beginning of the pandemic.

https://www.providencejournal.com/news/ ... nationally

[Obadiah]

"13th Rhode Island has had the 13th-most known coronavirus cases per capita among the 50 states since the beginning of the pandemic".

Recall that earlier Rhode Island's rank was a lofty #3 in this category. Our population rank is #45. The last game of season was on March 4 versus Dayton before a sellout crowd of 7,895. I wonder how many came down with Covid from that gathering?

[ramster]

If we do see a 2nd wave then the Stock Market and the Economy will reflect that. There has not been a 2nd wave in any other country at this point.

You realize the U.S. hasn’t followed other countries right. The U.S. has less than 5% of the world population and has 22% of the Covid deaths.
As far as Covid being on its way out, can you explain why the U.S. Covid deaths 7 day avg has been over 1,000 since July 24th (that’s 21 days).

Absolutely the US has not followed what those countries did. Those countries didn't fill up their Nursing Homes in NY like Andrew Cuomo did with people discharged from NY Hospitals who had Covid-19 either - the dumbest move in any Country or State by far - killed thousands of elderly totally unnecessarily and totally avoidable. Cuomo finally reversed that idiotic policy on May 12 but not until after thousand died unnecessarily. Many US States did a terrible job of protecting the elderly in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Homes - absolutely deplorable.

Countries in Europe (with the exceptions of Sweden) and in Central/South America (with the exception of Brazil) and in Asia implement lockdowns. The US does not do a good job at all of locking down or doing shelter in place. Best way to snuff out a Covid Virus is to have people lock down for at least 2 weeks. The US does not do well with this at all - too much independence among the general population. Nobody wants to be told what to do.

More Covid Cases and Deaths now because States opened up - especially California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arizona.
The Hot Weather that was theorized by some to diminish the effect of Covid was just that - a theory that never materialized.
Wait til Labor Day weekend where they say 5 million will fly to Florida for vacation - more idiotic traveling to spread Covid-19 more. Doesn't happen in any country but the US.

All of the States I just mentioned are showing they hit their peaks and are now trending down - slowly, but down.

Update from a week ago.
Daily New Case 7-day average continues trending down for US.
August 22 with 7 day ave of 43,829 new cases in US compared to high of 78,556 on July 24

3D19CDF4-6409-49E4-87E5-AB874F27B388.png

Daily deaths lag about two weeks the New Cases.
Have leveled off and started dropping for US.
August 22 with Daily Death 7 Day Ave of of 1,002 compared to 2,238 on April 23

Both metrics should continue tracking down as the FBS College Football Season approaches

D896E7A8-4EFF-4559-9195-0C3164E43D33.png

[rjsuperfly66]

This was a lengthy article I attempted to cut down. Great read, had to share:

Daniels, the director of sports cardiology at Ohio State, had also been busy, working to publish a three-month study whose preliminary findings were presented to Pac-12 and Big Ten leaders before they shut down football earlier this month. Daniels said that cardiac M.R.I.s, an expensive and sparingly used tool, revealed an alarmingly high rate of myocarditis — heart inflammation that can lead to cardiac arrest with exertion — among college athletes who had recovered from the coronavirus.

The survey found myocarditis in close to 15 percent of athletes who had the virus, almost all of whom experienced mild or no symptoms, Daniels added, perhaps shedding more light on the uncertainties about the short- and long-term effects the virus may have on athletes.

Last week, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame, which will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, backed off in-person instruction because of virus outbreaks, but encouraged their football teams to stay on campus. While some players in the Southeastern Conference used social media to criticize students for not wearing masks in classrooms, bars or fraternity houses, its schools were busy announcing plans to have upward of 25,000 fans at games — even at Alabama, where a vice president told students Friday the university was on a pace to run out of isolation beds by the end of the month. And a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic who advised the Big 12 and Conference U.S.A. to soldier on with football said in a podcast that any conference that did not play because of myocarditis concerns was relying on “wimpy, wobbly, weak” evidence.

Ackerman believes myocarditis is being portrayed as “the boogeyman,” and he has criticized experts giving weight to a German study that showed that 60 of 100 patients who had recovered from the coronavirus had signs of myocarditis, saying the patients were middle-aged and not in the peak physical condition of college athletes. He also decried Colleen Kraft, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University who is an adviser to the N.C.A.A., characterizing her as an alarmist for saying that disregarding concerns about myocarditis was “playing with fire.”

“Is this a blaze that’s out of control that’s wreaking havoc, or a campfire roasting marshmallows?” Ackerman said in an interview.

Ackerman’s position is outside the mainstream of the dozens of doctors who are advising university presidents and the N.C.A.A. on their decision. “I’m used to swimming upstream,” he said.

The University of Arizona’s president, Robert C. Robbins, a cardiac surgeon, shrugged off Ackerman’s characterization of the evidence as “wimpy, wobbly, weak,” saying it was best to err on the side of caution. He said it would be wise to monitor how professional sports leagues are screening their players for virus-related heart problems, and see where more data leads. “Maybe it will turn out that Dr. Ackerman is right, that this is something that will turn out to not be a big problem,” he said.

Myocarditis in the aftermath of viral infections is not a new phenomenon. So as doctors began to understand how the virus works, it was not a surprise for them to see it attack the lungs and the heart, which if inflamed becomes vulnerable to potentially fatal arrhythmias during vigorous exercise.

The prescription is straightforward: Rest for at least three months until further tests have indicated the inflammation has dissipated.

Most of this year’s early research, though, involved older patients, some of whom may have had compromised immune systems, leaving doubt as to whether the coronavirus attacks the heart any more virulently than other viruses do. There was scant evidence on how it might have affected young elite athletes who did not already have health problems.

Then, by early August, shortly after the German study was published, examples began to surface of otherwise healthy athletes showing signs of myocarditis after they recovered from Covid-19. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined for the season. The Indiana freshman lineman Brady Feeney’s doctor was concerned about Feeney’s heart after a difficult bout with the virus. A 27-year-old former Florida State basketball player, Michael Ojo, who had recovered from the virus, died of an apparent heart attack at a practice in Serbia.

“That was probably the tipping point in us saying we’re not ready to move forward,” Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a cardiologist at the University of Washington who advised the Pac-12, said of myocarditis uncertainty. “But it wasn’t the primary reason.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/spor ... virus.html

[PeterRamTime]

This was a lengthy article I attempted to cut down. Great read, had to share:

Daniels, the director of sports cardiology at Ohio State, had also been busy, working to publish a three-month study whose preliminary findings were presented to Pac-12 and Big Ten leaders before they shut down football earlier this month. Daniels said that cardiac M.R.I.s, an expensive and sparingly used tool, revealed an alarmingly high rate of myocarditis — heart inflammation that can lead to cardiac arrest with exertion — among college athletes who had recovered from the coronavirus.

The survey found myocarditis in close to 15 percent of athletes who had the virus, almost all of whom experienced mild or no symptoms, Daniels added, perhaps shedding more light on the uncertainties about the short- and long-term effects the virus may have on athletes.

Last week, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame, which will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, backed off in-person instruction because of virus outbreaks, but encouraged their football teams to stay on campus. While some players in the Southeastern Conference used social media to criticize students for not wearing masks in classrooms, bars or fraternity houses, its schools were busy announcing plans to have upward of 25,000 fans at games — even at Alabama, where a vice president told students Friday the university was on a pace to run out of isolation beds by the end of the month. And a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic who advised the Big 12 and Conference U.S.A. to soldier on with football said in a podcast that any conference that did not play because of myocarditis concerns was relying on “wimpy, wobbly, weak” evidence.

Ackerman believes myocarditis is being portrayed as “the boogeyman,” and he has criticized experts giving weight to a German study that showed that 60 of 100 patients who had recovered from the coronavirus had signs of myocarditis, saying the patients were middle-aged and not in the peak physical condition of college athletes. He also decried Colleen Kraft, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University who is an adviser to the N.C.A.A., characterizing her as an alarmist for saying that disregarding concerns about myocarditis was “playing with fire.”

“Is this a blaze that’s out of control that’s wreaking havoc, or a campfire roasting marshmallows?” Ackerman said in an interview.

Ackerman’s position is outside the mainstream of the dozens of doctors who are advising university presidents and the N.C.A.A. on their decision. “I’m used to swimming upstream,” he said.

The University of Arizona’s president, Robert C. Robbins, a cardiac surgeon, shrugged off Ackerman’s characterization of the evidence as “wimpy, wobbly, weak,” saying it was best to err on the side of caution. He said it would be wise to monitor how professional sports leagues are screening their players for virus-related heart problems, and see where more data leads. “Maybe it will turn out that Dr. Ackerman is right, that this is something that will turn out to not be a big problem,” he said.

Myocarditis in the aftermath of viral infections is not a new phenomenon. So as doctors began to understand how the virus works, it was not a surprise for them to see it attack the lungs and the heart, which if inflamed becomes vulnerable to potentially fatal arrhythmias during vigorous exercise.

The prescription is straightforward: Rest for at least three months until further tests have indicated the inflammation has dissipated.

Most of this year’s early research, though, involved older patients, some of whom may have had compromised immune systems, leaving doubt as to whether the coronavirus attacks the heart any more virulently than other viruses do. There was scant evidence on how it might have affected young elite athletes who did not already have health problems.

Then, by early August, shortly after the German study was published, examples began to surface of otherwise healthy athletes showing signs of myocarditis after they recovered from Covid-19. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined for the season. The Indiana freshman lineman Brady Feeney’s doctor was concerned about Feeney’s heart after a difficult bout with the virus. A 27-year-old former Florida State basketball player, Michael Ojo, who had recovered from the virus, died of an apparent heart attack at a practice in Serbia.

“That was probably the tipping point in us saying we’re not ready to move forward,” Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a cardiologist at the University of Washington who advised the Pac-12, said of myocarditis uncertainty. “But it wasn’t the primary reason.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/spor ... virus.html

Any ounce of fear in regards to Myocarditis is completely moot for the simple fact that players will be safer from the virus if they participate in football activities.

As the vast majority of coaches, players, AD's and medical professionals in the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 have expressed.

If they play they will be incentivized to socially distance themselves from those outside the football team.

They don't play, they go home and hang out with their friends and family. They stay on campus they'll be hanging out with people. They will party.

If they play their movements will be monitored and they will be tested regularly. If they are to contract the virus they will know immediately and have top-level university medical professionals there to look after them. Even if they know a player has been close to someone with the virus they will quarantine them.

Oklahoma recently let players return home for a break and 9 players came back positive.

I follow some of our guys on Instagram and Allen Bertrand was just at a wedding recently with a bunch of people and nobody had a mask on. They were outside though, but still, if the season is going on he's not doing that. I mean Fatts went to Arizona last month when they were a hot spot!

The myocarditis issue itself is grasping at straws as it's really not a serious condition at all. There have been plenty of health professionals that have condemned the study the big ten used. A couple of them from the University of Michigan.

Lastly, there's almost no way to prove that a player got the virus from football related activities and would have to prove gross negligence on the part of the university. With a virus so widespread you can get it mostly anywhere. The only way a player gets it is if they go rogue and party somewhere on campus. Or a coach. But even then, they're tested so frequently it will be almost impossible to spread very much, especially if they are asymptomatic. Then is it the universities fault if that player goes and gets it at a party? No.

Oh and by the way, the Big Ten commissioners son plays for Mississippi state.

It's insanity.

[Rhodymob05]

Not one BIG 10 AD was against playing football.

[rhodyruckus]

This was a lengthy article I attempted to cut down. Great read, had to share:

Daniels, the director of sports cardiology at Ohio State, had also been busy, working to publish a three-month study whose preliminary findings were presented to Pac-12 and Big Ten leaders before they shut down football earlier this month. Daniels said that cardiac M.R.I.s, an expensive and sparingly used tool, revealed an alarmingly high rate of myocarditis — heart inflammation that can lead to cardiac arrest with exertion — among college athletes who had recovered from the coronavirus.

The survey found myocarditis in close to 15 percent of athletes who had the virus, almost all of whom experienced mild or no symptoms, Daniels added, perhaps shedding more light on the uncertainties about the short- and long-term effects the virus may have on athletes.

Last week, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame, which will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, backed off in-person instruction because of virus outbreaks, but encouraged their football teams to stay on campus. While some players in the Southeastern Conference used social media to criticize students for not wearing masks in classrooms, bars or fraternity houses, its schools were busy announcing plans to have upward of 25,000 fans at games — even at Alabama, where a vice president told students Friday the university was on a pace to run out of isolation beds by the end of the month. And a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic who advised the Big 12 and Conference U.S.A. to soldier on with football said in a podcast that any conference that did not play because of myocarditis concerns was relying on “wimpy, wobbly, weak” evidence.

Ackerman believes myocarditis is being portrayed as “the boogeyman,” and he has criticized experts giving weight to a German study that showed that 60 of 100 patients who had recovered from the coronavirus had signs of myocarditis, saying the patients were middle-aged and not in the peak physical condition of college athletes. He also decried Colleen Kraft, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University who is an adviser to the N.C.A.A., characterizing her as an alarmist for saying that disregarding concerns about myocarditis was “playing with fire.”

“Is this a blaze that’s out of control that’s wreaking havoc, or a campfire roasting marshmallows?” Ackerman said in an interview.

Ackerman’s position is outside the mainstream of the dozens of doctors who are advising university presidents and the N.C.A.A. on their decision. “I’m used to swimming upstream,” he said.

The University of Arizona’s president, Robert C. Robbins, a cardiac surgeon, shrugged off Ackerman’s characterization of the evidence as “wimpy, wobbly, weak,” saying it was best to err on the side of caution. He said it would be wise to monitor how professional sports leagues are screening their players for virus-related heart problems, and see where more data leads. “Maybe it will turn out that Dr. Ackerman is right, that this is something that will turn out to not be a big problem,” he said.

Myocarditis in the aftermath of viral infections is not a new phenomenon. So as doctors began to understand how the virus works, it was not a surprise for them to see it attack the lungs and the heart, which if inflamed becomes vulnerable to potentially fatal arrhythmias during vigorous exercise.

The prescription is straightforward: Rest for at least three months until further tests have indicated the inflammation has dissipated.

Most of this year’s early research, though, involved older patients, some of whom may have had compromised immune systems, leaving doubt as to whether the coronavirus attacks the heart any more virulently than other viruses do. There was scant evidence on how it might have affected young elite athletes who did not already have health problems.

Then, by early August, shortly after the German study was published, examples began to surface of otherwise healthy athletes showing signs of myocarditis after they recovered from Covid-19. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined for the season. The Indiana freshman lineman Brady Feeney’s doctor was concerned about Feeney’s heart after a difficult bout with the virus. A 27-year-old former Florida State basketball player, Michael Ojo, who had recovered from the virus, died of an apparent heart attack at a practice in Serbia.

“That was probably the tipping point in us saying we’re not ready to move forward,” Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a cardiologist at the University of Washington who advised the Pac-12, said of myocarditis uncertainty. “But it wasn’t the primary reason.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/spor ... virus.html

The myocarditis issue itself is grasping at straws as it's really not a serious condition at all. There have been plenty of health professionals that have condemned the study the big ten used. A couple of them from the University of Michigan.

It's insanity.

Name them. I'm sure the Sox were fine to throw away Eduardo Rodriguez's last pre-arbitration year and pay him on his prorated $8 million + to sit on his ass even though this "not a serious condition at all".

[PeterRamTime]

This was a lengthy article I attempted to cut down. Great read, had to share:

Daniels, the director of sports cardiology at Ohio State, had also been busy, working to publish a three-month study whose preliminary findings were presented to Pac-12 and Big Ten leaders before they shut down football earlier this month. Daniels said that cardiac M.R.I.s, an expensive and sparingly used tool, revealed an alarmingly high rate of myocarditis — heart inflammation that can lead to cardiac arrest with exertion — among college athletes who had recovered from the coronavirus.

The survey found myocarditis in close to 15 percent of athletes who had the virus, almost all of whom experienced mild or no symptoms, Daniels added, perhaps shedding more light on the uncertainties about the short- and long-term effects the virus may have on athletes.

Last week, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame, which will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, backed off in-person instruction because of virus outbreaks, but encouraged their football teams to stay on campus. While some players in the Southeastern Conference used social media to criticize students for not wearing masks in classrooms, bars or fraternity houses, its schools were busy announcing plans to have upward of 25,000 fans at games — even at Alabama, where a vice president told students Friday the university was on a pace to run out of isolation beds by the end of the month. And a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic who advised the Big 12 and Conference U.S.A. to soldier on with football said in a podcast that any conference that did not play because of myocarditis concerns was relying on “wimpy, wobbly, weak” evidence.

Ackerman believes myocarditis is being portrayed as “the boogeyman,” and he has criticized experts giving weight to a German study that showed that 60 of 100 patients who had recovered from the coronavirus had signs of myocarditis, saying the patients were middle-aged and not in the peak physical condition of college athletes. He also decried Colleen Kraft, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University who is an adviser to the N.C.A.A., characterizing her as an alarmist for saying that disregarding concerns about myocarditis was “playing with fire.”

“Is this a blaze that’s out of control that’s wreaking havoc, or a campfire roasting marshmallows?” Ackerman said in an interview.

Ackerman’s position is outside the mainstream of the dozens of doctors who are advising university presidents and the N.C.A.A. on their decision. “I’m used to swimming upstream,” he said.

The University of Arizona’s president, Robert C. Robbins, a cardiac surgeon, shrugged off Ackerman’s characterization of the evidence as “wimpy, wobbly, weak,” saying it was best to err on the side of caution. He said it would be wise to monitor how professional sports leagues are screening their players for virus-related heart problems, and see where more data leads. “Maybe it will turn out that Dr. Ackerman is right, that this is something that will turn out to not be a big problem,” he said.

Myocarditis in the aftermath of viral infections is not a new phenomenon. So as doctors began to understand how the virus works, it was not a surprise for them to see it attack the lungs and the heart, which if inflamed becomes vulnerable to potentially fatal arrhythmias during vigorous exercise.

The prescription is straightforward: Rest for at least three months until further tests have indicated the inflammation has dissipated.

Most of this year’s early research, though, involved older patients, some of whom may have had compromised immune systems, leaving doubt as to whether the coronavirus attacks the heart any more virulently than other viruses do. There was scant evidence on how it might have affected young elite athletes who did not already have health problems.

Then, by early August, shortly after the German study was published, examples began to surface of otherwise healthy athletes showing signs of myocarditis after they recovered from Covid-19. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined for the season. The Indiana freshman lineman Brady Feeney’s doctor was concerned about Feeney’s heart after a difficult bout with the virus. A 27-year-old former Florida State basketball player, Michael Ojo, who had recovered from the virus, died of an apparent heart attack at a practice in Serbia.

“That was probably the tipping point in us saying we’re not ready to move forward,” Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a cardiologist at the University of Washington who advised the Pac-12, said of myocarditis uncertainty. “But it wasn’t the primary reason.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/spor ... virus.html

The myocarditis issue itself is grasping at straws as it's really not a serious condition at all. There have been plenty of health professionals that have condemned the study the big ten used. A couple of them from the University of Michigan.

It's insanity.

Name them. I'm sure the Sox were fine to throw away Eduardo Rodriguez's last pre-arbitration year and pay him on his prorated $8 million + to sit on his ass even though this "not a serious condition at all".

Here's the main one. Dude doesn't even watch football so he has no bias.
https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/202 ... diologist/

Here's an educational video on youtube from a year ago on Myocarditis.

States that it is rare for it to cause severe heart issues.

This is also something that is fairly common and we have treatments for it. You're probably even less likely to have serious issues from this in this current climate because, if you have Covid they will be looking out to see if you develop this condition. So they'll treat it early.