Illinois offensive tackle Alex Palczewski wore a mask and couldn’t hug his teammates, but he smiled as he talked about returning to the practice field Thursday after limited interaction for months amid COVID-19 restrictions.
“We have to sacrifice a few months,” said Palczewski, a senior from Mount Prospect, Ill., whose mom is an intensive care unit nurse. “If at the end of the season, we’re Big Ten champs, it’s all worth it.”
Illini players, coach Lovie Smith and athletic director Josh Whitman stressed during video conferences with reporters the importance of reducing the spread of the coronavirus in hopes of completing a season as uncertainty swirls around the nation about the possibility of kicking off this fall.
Illinois athletes will be required to take daily tests, with at least two PCR tests per week required by Big Ten protocol and saliva tests administered through the university. Currently, saliva tests are available only on weekdays, but the university expects those to be available soon on weekends too.
The amount of testing at Illinois exceeds what most programs have announced.
“Everyone for the most part is doing a good job, taking care of their business,” said linebacker Jake Hansen, a Florida native. “I think I’m more safe here than at home. I’m not around another group of people who will be tested every day.”
Athletes in various conferences, notably the Big Ten and Pac-12, have publicly demanded increased testing and third-party oversight. Whitman said he wasn’t aware of any Illinois athletes who were part of the College Athlete Unity group of more than 1,000 Big Ten athletes who penned a letter of demands.
Illinois announced last week 14% of its 164 athletes on campus had tested positive for COVID-19 since returning in June, including 18 football players. Twelve athletes, whose sports weren’t identified, tested positive upon returning to campus and were quarantined before coming into contact with others, Whitman said.
Six% of athletes contracted the virus after returning to campus through “community spread,” Whitman said, noting they did not identify a point of spread through workouts at athletic facilities. Three athletes are currently recovering from the virus, but none has been hospitalized.
“We never felt like we were in a surge,” Whitman said.
The finances of testing has become an issue between universities with more resources and smaller programs that lack the funds. Whitman said the university will absorb the costs of testing athletes.
Illinois will require every student and faculty member meeting for in-person classes on campus to take two tests per week.
Six Big Ten football programs have suspended workouts at some point this summer after positive tests, including Northwestern pausing this week after one case. Illinois said it was comfortable with its contact tracing efforts and quarantine methods to continue practicing after athletes tested positive.
The Illini are scheduled to kick off the conference-only season Sept. 3 against Ohio State.
Ra’Von Bonner, a senior running back, remains the only Illinois player to opt out of playing this season, Smith said. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Purdue receiver Rondale Moore, both top NFL prospects, announced Thursday that they won’t play and mentioned coronavirus concerns as their reason.
The unknown lingers over the season.
Thursday’s opening practice at Illinois, after being limited to voluntary weightlifting and conditioning workouts in small groups since June, included the offense and defense on separate fields. Smith said he’ll hold most meetings virtually. He preached wearing a mask, washing hands and socially distancing.
Smith emphasized his optimistic nature but said, “I don’t have my head in the sand.”
“There’s no given college football will be played,” he said. “Right now, they’ve told us we can start practicing. Until someone tells us different, that’s what we’ll do.”
Whitman discussed several other topics in his video conference with reporters.
— The athletic department projects to lose $20 million this season and possibly more if football games or the entire season are canceled.
— Whitman said he has taken an additional 15% pay cut over 12 months. Other athletic administrative leaders have taken 7% cuts over 12 months.
— The athletic department did not fill 11 vacancies and eliminated 15 positions, including seven full-time employees, as a cost-saving measure.
— Illinois has rescheduled its game against Illinois State for the 2028 season opener. The Illini were scheduled to host the Redbirds this season but were forced to cancel after the Big Ten moved to a conference-only season.
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