In a press release Friday, the Eastern Michigan Athletic Department announced that in conjunction with the Mid-American Council of Presidents the school will play a six-game football season beginning in November. The season will end with a championship game on “Dec. 18 or 19.” The MAC has not released a schedule yet.
In the same press release, it was announced that Men’s and Women’s basketball would stay on schedule and begin on Nov. 25.
The council’s unanimous decision coincides with a positive recommendation from the Medical Advisory Panel. Dr. Roger Kruse, the chair of the Medical Advisory Group, said "This was made possible by the ability to obtain rapid "point of care" testing. We will test four times a week to assure player safety.”
The school plans to implement a test schedule requiring players to be tested four times per week with a full list of the school’s protocols to be released next week.
EMU President James Smith released in a statement that, “The plan for every football student-athlete to be tested every 48 hours provides a level of reassurance that we will be able to minimize, while not eliminating, the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The totality of the safety measures we have in place, exhibited extensively by our medical experts, coaching staff and student-athletes throughout the summer and now into the fall, will ensure the safest possible experience.”
EMU Football Coach Chris Creighton is excited for the new season, saying “I'm so fired up that the Mid-American Conference has developed a plan to allow our guys the opportunity to safely play the game they love. We've been preparing to compete for a MAC Championship since December 27. Our focus has been readiness for kickoff, whenever that day finally arrived. I'm very thankful that our players will have a chance to play a 2020 season.”
