FAYETTEVILLE — There will be no sports on SEC campuses for at least a month, maybe longer.
The SEC on Friday announced it was extending its suspension in play through at least April 15 and instructed all teams to cancel organized activities by Monday at 5 p.m. Those activities include "team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings," according to a statement.
Unlike a Thursday release that stated the league would not permit any games on its campuses through at least March 30, Friday's release was not specific to spring sports, meaning that the new mandate includes spring football practices. University of Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said earlier Friday that individual schools had "autonomy" to conduct spring practices for the time being.
The Razorbacks were scheduled to begin spring practice - their first under coach Sam Pittman - on Monday.
In a statement, the SEC said its 16-day extension was due to continuing developments related to covid-19, the virus that has brought sports to a virtual standstill worldwide. The NBA, NHL, MLB and NCAA have all suspended play in an attempt to curtail the spread of the virus through mass gatherings at sporting events.
In Arkansas, nine cases of the virus were presumptive positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Friday, and all public universities had canceled in-person classes and shifted to alternative methods of instruction, such as online courses. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared a public health emergency earlier this week and Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan declared the city was in a state of emergency Friday.
No positive cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Fayetteville.
For spring sports such as baseball and softball, the SEC's extension of the suspension in play lessens the likelihood their seasons will resume. Both teams were ranked in the national top 25, celebrating consecutive victories and preparing for conference weekend series when their seasons were brought to an abrupt halt Thursday.
The suspension is likely to prevent players from using team workout facilities on their own through April 15. With on-campus classes canceled and the UA's Spring Break a week away, most players are likely to return home to work out individually.
The SEC institutions were instructed to continue providing assistance to athletes in the areas of academics, medical care, mental health and wellness, nutrition and housing, as needed.
Yurachek will address media members about the stoppage during a news conference Friday at 4:30 p.m.