Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz not focused on Football right now

The spread of the COVID-19/coronavirus has brought sports and the world to a near halt. Miami Hurricanes head football coach Manny Diaz is more concerned with the prevention of the virus than if and when football activities can and will resume.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz discussed the current state of the Miami Hurricanes football program during an appearance on the Brett Romberg Show on 1210 The Man on Monday morning. Diaz is more concerned with the health of his players and the general population than when football activities can be resumed.

The Miami football program held four spring practices during the first week of March before taking off last week for spring break. On Tuesday, the ACC canceled all sports for the remainder of the 2019-20 Academic Calendar. That includes spring practice. Some out of state players are home and players are not working out on campus.

Diaz is likely more aware of the politics of a situation like this as the son of the former mayor of Miami-Dade. The Hurricanes’ second-year head coach showed a proficient understanding of the severity of the coronavirus and the ability to put sports in perspective. Football will resume when it is safe to do so.

Diaz discussed with Romberg, the center on the 2001 Miami national championship team, the unprecedented steps taken that have resulted in sports being canceled across the globe. Everyone involved with decision making affected by the coronavirus has had to make determinations no one has been in the position to make before.

"“This is uncharted territory. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before. We are all going day by day and trying to figure out what is next. To me, the point is to not over-run our hospitals. To me, this is like the storm and then there is a flood after the storm.If we can’t provide care in the hospitals [because they are too busy], then people who shouldn’t be dying, will be dying.”"

The above transcription was provided by David Lake of Inside the U. The best anyone can hope for at this point is for the Miami football team to be able to reconvene in late July or early August for training camp. Recruiting is on hold indefinitely until a decision is made that it is safe for social distancing to end.

Diaz understands that the time for football to resume will commence when it is safe to do so. In the interim Diaz has the best interests of his team and wants them to focus on staying healthy. Athletes are not immune to contracting the coronavirus. The of the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have tested positive.

"“There is a time and a place for all of that…The thing we have come to realize is that the change in focus is that the issue is not will I get sick? If I am a college football player and I get sick, there is a very strong possibility that I am going to be totally fine.I may not be symptomatic and it may be mild, but we all have to think outside of our individual selves. The more I am out and about, the more I have a chance to get others sick. It is about not spreading the disease.know everybody wants to get back in the weight room and do all of that, but there is plenty of time to do all that by September 5th. Day by day, the situation changes so greatly that we are so far off from figuring all that out.There will be a time and place to figure out those things. I don’t think there is a person on the planet right now that knows when that time is.”"

With time away from spring practice and recruiting, Diaz and his staff will have to shift their focus to watching film, planning for the season and conducting recruiting electronically. As Diaz stated, these are unprecedented times. Many of the current coaches will set precedences that will hopefully never have to be used in the future.

The timing of the Miami football team was difficult, but Diaz put everything in perspective. The integration of QB D’Eriq King into the Miami football team, installation of the Hurricanes new offense under new coordinator Rhett Lashlee and new offensive line and wide receivers coach are put on hold indefinitely.