With its players returning to campus in phases and the NCAA’s approval Wednesday of a practice calendar essentially signaling there will be football this fall, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown was made available to the media Thursday via Zoom.
Brown last met with the media at the end of May, but questions still remained regarding the season, but that’s now in place. In addition, Brown discussed how things are going nearly a week after the first phase of the players’ return began, how the program will continue dealing with COVID-19 protocols and he was also asked about the current climate in the nation regarding race relations.
Here are some bullet points from what Brown had to say. The full interview is above:
*The players that came in with the first phase were tested last Friday and then were asked to stay away from each other all weekend, unless they live with one another, as some do. They were put through some workouts and Brown was pleased, saying “the guys are in really good shape.”
*Brown said the first week of this phasing process “has been a huge success.”
*The coaches are in the office at the Kenan Football Center three days a week – Tuesday-Thursday – and work from home on Mondays and Fridays. They do all of their meetings when in the building. They also wear masks at all times when outside of their individual offices.
*UNC will begin fall camp on Aug. 6. Most of the nation starts Aug. 7, but since the Tar Heels open up on Friday night, Sept. 4, they get to start a day earlier. The school requested from the NCAA an earlier start date because classes start Aug. 10, much earlier than the previous norm, but were denied. It was UNC’s decision to start classes early, so it must work around it. Typically in the past, practice would start on around Aug. 3 and classes on the Aug. 18-21 range, so the team got a full two-plus weeks in actual fall camp. That won’t be the case this season.
*All meetings for the players are still done on Zoom and will be for the foreseeable future, even if the players are in the same building as the coaches during the meeting. “I look forward to the day we can meet in person,” Brown said.
*Knowing the plan is now etched in stone between now and the start of the season makes communication with the players much easier now. There’s no need to explain a variety of scenarios. Brown said he was personally relieved when he learned the NCAA’s Division One Council passed the proposal Wednesday night.
*Brown was clear that no player, their families or coaches have expressed any concern with respect to COVID-19 upon returning. They have discussed it many times and the players know they can opt out of something without hesitation or second guessing.
*Brown recently had a COVID-19 test done and said it was quick, maybe 15-20 seconds, and when the swab was in his nose he nearly sneezed. It was a “very short test, not very long,” he said.
*Some unknowns remain, especially regarding practice – will coaches wear masks during practice – and games. Since the players are not allowed to be near each other for longer than 15 minutes at a time, there have been discussions about extending the team benches during games the length of the field so the players can spread out more, etc.
*With the team adhering to the 15-minute rule, Brown said they may switch practice periods to 10-12 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes.
*Brown was asked about the recent issues of racism in the country and he gave an impassioned response, which we will address deeper in another content item. But Brown did say the team has discussed this on Zoom, notably the leadership council on the team, which includes 21 players. It’s the last question of Brown’s presser.
