Texas A&M’s Bjork on playing football at an empty Kyle Field: It’s hard to fathom
Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork feels it’s way too early to speculate on what college football looks like next fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He believes in taking a wait-and-see approach, that we’ll all know more come May, then June, then July. He remains hopeful the season isn’t disrupted. But, yes, contingency plans have crossed Bjork’s mind.
That includes the possibility of sports returning to competition before communities give the all-clear for mass gatherings. In other words, iconic Kyle Field could be empty when Texas A&M opens its season next fall.
“It’s hard to fathom what that would mean and what that would look like,” Bjork said in a telephone interview with the Star-Telegram on Monday. “Even for a scrimmage, we have parents and some fans and things like that. All those things are hard to get your mind around, but this whole thing has been that way.
“Just like this shutdown has been progressive, maybe it’ll be a progressive ramp back up. Do you start off with less fans then you slowly build up to full capacity? How would you do that? How would you determine who gets in? There’s a lot of complicated factors in all that. That part is pretty hard to get your mind around, especially here in April.”
For now, Bjork is hoping for the best. Like most, he’s following the developments as closely as possible and talking with experts on A&M’s campus.
Bjork sees May 1 as the next critical juncture in terms of making educated decisions on how to proceed.
“We saw the news over the weekend about the next couple of weeks could be really bad for our country, so there’s going to be a lot of sad moments,” Bjork said. “But it also means that we hit the peak. Then when the curve starts to come down, then there could be some hope. I just think it’s way too early to speculate on if there’s delays or a suspension or movement into early 2021. I just think it’s way too early.
“I think everyone would agree, whether you’re an athletic director or a media member or own a hotel, we’ve got to get our country back up and running in a healthy way. So that’s what I’m focused on.”
Preparation time?
College football’s “Week Zero” is set for Aug. 29 with most programs scheduled to start seasons in on Sept. 5.
Texas A&M is scheduled to host Abilene Christian on Sept. 5 in College Station.
For the season to start at that time, though, student-athletes will have to be on campus by mid-July at the latest and possibly even by July 1. Bjork estimated that most programs would need 45-60 days to properly prepare for a season.
“Somewhere in that range is probably a healthy range,” Bjork said. “Now you need to assess the players before they even start. Where are they? Some guys may take a little bit longer, some guys might take a little bit less.
“That’s in our mind what the number is — 45-60 days give or take. Then it’s what is in those 45-60 days? Is it some sort of minicamp, sort of an OTA [organized team activities] model that the NFL has with helmets and shorts. Can you run some sort of walk-throughs? What are you teaching while you’re doing that? Not only the physical part and getting in shape, but what sort of football activity is there. I think that’s the piece we’re all looking for, some consistency around college football.
“What we’re doing in that time frame is as important as the time itself.”
As far as Texas A&M going to online-only courses for the summer, Bjork said that doesn’t necessarily prohibit student-athletes from returning to campus in the summer when it’s deemed safe.
The university has about 2,000 students still on campus as schools are allowing students to stay if the situation is better there than in their hometown.
But, if football players return to campus in the summer, A&M could look at different measures whether it’s working out in smaller groups or staying in a sequestered location.
“Is it something where everyone on the team is in one location? They have their own little community, no one sort of penetrates that community,” Bjork said. “We don’t know yet, but whatever the safest environment, that’s what we have to go with.”
Thumbs up, NCAA
Bjork had been a vocal proponent of spring sport athletes being granted an extra year of eligibility after their seasons were cut short. So Bjork was pleased to see the NCAA follow through on its plans to grant an extra year to those athletes last week.
“I was a big fan of it,” Bjork said. “I’m glad they did it and I’m glad there was some flexibility. Now each athlete and each coach can sit down and map out their future.”
If every senior returns for an extra year, Bjork said, the university would pay roughly $565,000. Of course, some seniors will opt to leave whether it’s to pursue professional careers or enter the workforce.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
