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Michigan athletics brings back three teams for voluntary workouts

The University of Michigan is allowing players from three teams — football, men's basketball and women's basketball — to return to campus this week to participate in voluntary workouts, the athletic department announced Monday night. Student-athletes have not been allowed to use school facilities since March, when the coronavirus pandemic shut down universities and sports programs across the nation. For Wolverines student-athletes to begin training, they'll have to work through a 14-day pre-report risk assessment and six-day "resocialization" period. Players will complete daily risk assessments as well as temperature checks. They also will have COVID-19 and antibody testing, physicals, concussion tests, sleep surveys, fitness testing, mobility screening, body composition, nutrition evaluations and medical testing. Individuals who test positive will enter quarantine. "We are pleased to start the process of welcoming student-athletes back to our campus through a medical and public health-informed protocol and plan," athletic director Warde Manuel said. "We continue to take the utmost care to ensure that all student-athletes and staff return to a safe and healthy environment. "Our protocols and plans have been developed by medical experts from across U-M's campus, who have collaborated with officials at the local, state and national levels. I appreciate the contributions and comprehensive efforts across so many groups and in coordination with the Big Ten Conference and peers across the NCAA." Before players and staff members can enter facilities, they must go through a screening process. Masks will be provided when they are necessary. Social distancing will be implemented during workouts. High-risk areas in the facilities, such as locker rooms, strength and conditioning stations and athletic training zones, will be cleaned daily with electrostatic sanitation. Once football, men's basketball and women's basketball players successfully return, Michigan will allow the remaining fall sports teams to come back: men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and volleyball. Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold .