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Message: [QUOTE="OrangeXtreme, post: 3417139, member: 41"] Wildhack opens up with a firm statement regarding systemic racism and the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. "It's on all of us to do this work and seek knowledge to understand how 400 years of racism... has led us to the point we're in today." Frazier talks about growing up in Philadelphia in the 60s and 70s. "As a person of color who has competed as a student athlete in college and on the world stage, I saw the frustrations and I felt the frustrations." Frazier says Wildhack hosted a virtual Zoom with many of SU's athletes and they discussed players using their platform to support the BLM movement. Wildhack: "We have encouraged our student-athletes to use their platform and to do so to protest racism. We support our student-athlete's rights to use their voice and make their opinions known." Wildhack and Frazier are in favor of having ACC teams holding the same testing standards. Frazier adds that it's important non-conference opponents take the pandemic seriously. Frazier: Testing process for athletes started 14 days before they arrived on campus Monday. Players were asked to take temperatures at home. Tuesday, everyone was tested between 9 a.m.-noon. SU administered saliva tests to 130 people and the school is still waiting on results. Frazier: Players who receive a negative test will be put in pods of 10. Those pods will not expand until at least 15 days. In 45 days, another larger expansion could occur. Wildhack said SU is building various models regarding reduced-capacity football this fall. "You can't state anything definitively at this point because there's still so much that we don't know." Wildhack says his coaches and players have spent time discussing election day. No decisions have been made about canceling athletic activities, but talks have focused on voter turnout and education. Frazier said SU has identified an infection response team, including scientists and medical personnel. The process for a positive test begins with a 14-day quarantine. Wildhack says positive tests will not be announced "the majority of the time." Wildhack says he's had no talks with businesses regarding a new naming rights deal for the Carrier Dome. Wildhack said cutting a program has not been discussed within SU Athletics. "That would be the absolute last, last, last resort." Cost-saving measures have been implemented. Scheduling regional non-conference games in certain sports is one example of that. Wildhack on keeping positive tests in-house: "We're going to do everything we can to respect the privacy rights of our student-athletes." Wildhack describes positive tests as a news item for media. Some might call such transparency a public service during a pandemic. Wildhack and Frazier said there have been no talks of furthering Syracuse's football series with Liberty. Doesn't sound like anything will be done to remove the matchups for 2020 and 2021. Doing that would be one, albeit small, way for Wildhack to put action behind his words. Wildhack asked about fan protocols at games. Said it's too early to know whether masks and/or temperature checks will be mandatory. Wildhack said he hasn't been informed by anyone that Carrier Dome airflow makes it easier for Covid-19 to spread. Wildhack said Carrier Dome renovations remain on course. New roof should be up this summer, scoreboard to follow. No specific dates provided. Frazier expects Syracuse will test players during each game week for football. He hopes there's conference-wide testing, but he believes at SU this will occur prior to games. Wildhack: Season-ticket holders, premium seat holders and student season-ticket holders will get priority when attendance guidelines become more clear. Everything still on the table, including football with no fans. [/QUOTE]

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