Every day is roughly the same for McKenzie Milton. The UCF quarterback drives from his off-campus apartment to the team's football complex, where he has received permission to use the facility to continue his rehabilitation following a gruesome injury to his right leg nearly 18 months ago.
Before entering the building, he gets a forehead scan for a quick temperature check -- part of new health and safety protocols implemented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Then he washes his hands. Masks are required, and equipment must be wiped down after each use. He also must stay 6 feet apart from other players who are there. It's a protocol many schools across the country have administered for athletes rehabbing long-term injuries.
But then, about a week ago, his throat started to hurt. He stayed home. When he developed a slight fever, he started to panic. Milton drove himself to a COVID-19 drive-through testing center located in a parking garage on the UCF campus, where medical personnel administered a diagnostic test by pushing a long swab up his nose.
He got the results the following day: He tested negative. Within a few days, the fever was gone and he felt like himself again. Milton missed two days of physical therapy, but while he awaited the test results, he could not help but think about all the people he had interacted with on a daily basis after he decided to stay in Orlando and continue with his daily rehab instead of returning home to Hawaii.
"I would have felt bad if I was around people and was sick and the possibility of our physical therapy having to get quarantined because of me," Milton said.
What happened to Milton gets to the heart of the question of how and when to resume sports safely after the coronavirus pandemic forced the entire sports world to shut down in March. College athletic departments are grappling with the same dilemma as the rest of the country -- desperate to reopen because of dire financial challenges while trying to prioritize the health of unpaid student-athletes. Collegiate leaders are acknowledging the realization that once workouts, practices and games resume, the spread of COVID-19 will be inevitable.