ACC Commissioner John Swofford says league will make fall sports decisions by late July

The ACC expects a decision on “the best possible path forward” for the return of fall sports amidst the coronavirus pandemic by late July, commissioner John Swofford said in a Friday news release.

Swofford’s announcement came a day after the ACC announced it would delay the start of fall Olympic sports until at least September 1. Later Thursday, college football insider Brett McMurphy reported the ACC was considering a conference-only schedule.

“Over the last few months, our conference has prepared numerous scenarios related to the fall athletics season,” Swofford said in the release. “The league membership and our medical advisory group will make every effort to be as prepared as possible during these unprecedented times, and we anticipate a decision by our Board of Directors in late July.”

The ACC’s announcement came after a slew of news this week that’s brought mounting concerns to the feasibility of college sports in the fall.

The Ivy League said Wednesday it wouldn’t compete in fall sports, while keeping the option of playing those sports in the spring as a possibility. The Big Ten said Thursday it was opting for a conference-only schedule. It was the first Power Five conference to do so.

The CIAA — home to eight North Carolina schools — also announced Thursday it was suspending fall sports competition.

Those decisions came as North Carolina and Ohio State suspended voluntary workouts after positive COVID-19 tests, and Stanford, a longtime proponent of Olympic sports, discontinued 11 varsity sports programs.

In his statement, Swofford said the “health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators remains the ACC’s top priority.”

“As we continue to work on the best possible path forward for the return of competition, we will do so in a way that appropriately coincides with our universities’ academic missions,” he said.

This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 6:33 PM.