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Florida State football players and coaches return to practice field in masks (Video)

By Joseph Birdsall

TALLAHASSEE, FL - JUNE 13: Head Coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Football Team wears a mask before a unity walk on June 13, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State players and members of the football coaching staff led fans and supporters on a unity walk from the Doak Campbell Stadium on the Florida State University campus to the state capitol building in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - JUNE 13: Head Coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Football Team wears a mask before a unity walk on June 13, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State players and members of the football coaching staff led fans and supporters on a unity walk from the Doak Campbell Stadium on the Florida State University campus to the state capitol building in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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The Florida State Seminoles resumed on-campus practices this week, fully equipped with masks and face shields.

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell welcomed his players back to campus this week, resuming offseason practice as uncertainty looms regarding the fate of the 2020 college football season.

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging and major conferences canceling non-conference games, some are beginning to doubt that the college football season will even take place. However, the Seminoles appear ready for any possibility.

While some of the images in Florida State’s video may be jarring, namely players and coaches practicing in masks and face shields, this is likely the new normal for college athletes, at least until a coronavirus vaccine is widely available.

With Florida emerging as the new epicenter of the pandemic, such measures are necessary. The state broke a single-day record for new cases on Sunday, reporting over 15,000 positive tests, per Associated Press.

As the Sunshine State struggles to control the disease’s spread, the resumption of sports nationwide has started to hit some roadblocks. The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 have all already canceled non-conference games and athletes across all sports have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Plenty is still unknown about COVID-19, but with masks and face coverings proven to slow the disease’s spread, Florida State is taking a responsible step to ensure that there is football in the fall.

Florida State released its video just minutes after the SEC tweeted a video of its football coaches wearing masks, urging fans to do the same.

https://twitter.com/SEC/status/1282698549457715205

While wearing masks has been a point of contention in Florida and other southern states, it currently appears to be the most effective way to slow the disease’s spread. With NFL teams already announcing reduced capacity at stadiums (if any), college football appears to be headed for a similar fate.

However, if more teams practice responsibly like the Seminoles, the NCAA may be able to salvage a season after all, and avoid a massive decline in revenue.

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