Football and basketball players will be allowed to participate in voluntary athletic activities on their campuses as soon as next month.
The NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to allow student-athletes in the two revenue-generating sports to rejoin their teams, provided all local, state and federal regulations are followed.
All college athletics were canceled in mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The NCAA's moratorium on athletic activities extends through May 31. The status of voluntary athletic activities in all other sports will be determined at a later date.
Coaches won't be permitted to attend these voluntary workouts unless they are necessary for safety reasons. The activities must also be initiated by the student-athletes.
"We encourage each school to use its discretion to make the best decisions possible for football and basketball student-athletes within the appropriate resocialization framework," M. Grace Calhoun, the Division I Council chair and athletic director at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "Allowing for voluntary athletics activity acknowledges that reopening our campuses will be an individual decision but should be based on advice from medical experts."
Conferences and schools can choose to enforce start dates later than June 1.
