After Duke’s blowout win over Elon Saturday evening, head coach Mike Krzyzewski touched on several topics that have heavily impacted the sports world since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly two years ago.
With new the Covid-19 variant, Omicron, steadily passing through the United States, games have been halted, including over ten games this past week (20 games on the season have been cancelled or rescheduled due to the deadly virus). Assistant coach Nolan Smith, who Coach K stated is a pivotal part of the coaching staff, missed Saturday’s game versus Elon due to Health and Safety protocols. In fact, the entire staff wore masks while on the bench.
After the win over, Elon Coach K addressed the conference’s virus protocols which state:
2021-22 ACC COVID-19 Game Rescheduling Policy
In the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, football, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and wrestling:
- If a 2021-22 ACC game cannot be played on its originally scheduled date by a team unable to play due to an insufficient number of available players related to COVID-19, that team shall be deemed to have forfeited, with a loss assigned to the team unable to play and a win assigned to its scheduled opponent, with both the loss and win, respectively, applied to the conference standings.
- If a 2021-22 ACC game cannot be played on its originally scheduled date due to any factor(s) directly associated with a Game Discontinuation Consideration as listed in the current ACC Medical Advisory Group (MAG) Report, the Conference’s sport rescheduling policy shall apply.
- If a 2021-22 ACC game cannot be played on its originally scheduled date due to both teams being unable to play due to an insufficient number of available players related to COVID-19, both teams shall be deemed to have forfeited, with a loss assigned to both teams and applied to the conference standings.
“I would like to know if the other team was tested, just before we played going forward,” Krzyzewski said. “We are making a big mistake in not doing that.”
“I’m not big on the forfeit thing either. Educate me, Why is that good? A forfeit?”
Krzyzewski also mentioned that his team is fully vaccinated, but players have yet to receive booster shots. If the league does listen to Coach K and revisit their health and safety protocols, teams would be tested daily and right before games.
The fact the NCAA is assuming teams are testing daily versus requiring it is wrong all together. The resources are available and the NCAA can indeed make this mandate effective immediately. Why put other teams, personnel and staff at risk? Until the NCAA and conferences require daily testing we will continue to see, not only spikes in cases, but continued spreading and cancellations.