What will Fresno State tell student-athletes who aren’t comfortable returning in fall?

As Fresno State joins schools across the country exploring ways to get students back on campus safely during the coronavirus pandemic, what happens to student-athletes who decide they don’t want to risk it?

That student-athlete might be taking all fall semester classes online, might have a redshirt season available, and might want to take it.

“When a student has a concern, if they did not feel confident or comfortable in any environment, maybe with an injury or anything else, I think we’d have to have in-depth conversations with that student, but also respect that student and their wishes as it relates to how they view the environment that we have here,” athletics director Terry Tumey said in a Friday conference call.

“That is why the information that we have to provide to our student athletes and to the decision-makers is so vitally important to garner that confidence and never betray the trust that we have of our students in our academic experience. Students trust us to provide them a safe haven for the delivery of education and also, in an athletic vantage point, they want and of course they deserve a safe environment for them to compete. If that is not the impression that a student would have, we would honor their wishes, but also work diligently to understand how to address the concerns that all of our students have as it relates to this pandemic.”

As far as continuing scholarship aid, the short answer is “Yes,” Tumey said.

“As we’re talking about any decisions as it relates to the safety and well-being of student-athletes, I don’t believe that financial considerations are primary in any shape, form or fashion. We’re talking about the safety of our student-athletes and how they are being stewarded here at Fresno State.”

Fresno State sponsors five fall sports – football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country. When the Bulldogs’ sports programs might take a next step toward getting back on the field or court remains an open question.

The California State University system has determined that classes will be held virtually in the fall, with limited exceptions. Shortly after that announcement the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association, comprised largely of CSU schools including Stanislaus State and Cal State Monterey Bay, canceled its fall sports seasons.

But Fresno State, San Diego State and San Jose State, the CSU universities that play FBS football in the Mountain West Conference, continue to explore ways to get students-athletes back on campus this summer.

San Diego State athletics director John David Wicker told the Union-Tribune that he has been working on a plan to have student-athletes starting with the Aztecs’ football team back on campus July 7, which is the start of a second summer school session.

Tumey was not ready to set a target date, but football and keeping student-athletes safe upon their return to campus obviously is a focus across the country. It has the largest rosters with typically more than 100 student-athletes, 85 on scholarship. Fall camp is a morning to night grind of meetings, practices, weight training and more meetings with coaches and student-athletes in close proximity.

It also is the primary revenue driver for athletics departments.

“As we talk about football, it’s really not about the sport itself, but the introduction and trying to create an environment that is conducive for just the reentry to our campus, first and foremost,” Tumey said.

“From that, then you have to go into a more in-depth aspect as it relates to, ‘How do you evaluate the health and well-being of our student-athletes and then move forward into how you’re going to look at the competitive aspect.’

“We here at Fresno State, I think, are taking things in the most fundamental states possible in order to understand the reintroduction piece first. I think all of our partners throughout our conference and throughout the nation are looking at that, as well, not to jump ahead too soon to the competitive aspect of it.”