Auburn postpones spring practices as coronavirus spreads

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AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn's spring football practices have been postponed.

The news comes on the heels of Auburn canceling sporting events until at least April 10 as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country.

Auburn has not yet decided on a start date for spring practices. The program has also not announced whether its annual A-Day scrimmage on April 11 will remain on schedule and open to the public. Practices were scheduled to begin March 16.

"The program will continue to assess the situation moving forward," Auburn shared in a news release Thursday evening.

All football-related activities have also been postponed, which includes strength-and-conditioning workouts on campus.

Auburn athletics has canceled all games, matches and contests until at least April 10.

“The well-being of our student-athletes, staff, fans and the Auburn community will always be our highest priority,” Auburn athletics director Allen Greene said in a statement.

“Given the global gravity of COVID-19, we appreciate the complexities of these difficult decisions. Our hearts go out to our student-athletes and coaches who have worked tirelessly to represent Auburn with class and excellence in their quest for championships. We thank the Auburn family for their understanding and patience as we navigate this unprecedented and fluid situation.”

Auburn typically scrimmaged twice before A-Day and utilized the first day inside the stadium for situational work (red zone, third downs, etc.) Auburn coach Gus Malzahn initially decided in January on a later start date for spring drills because of the recruiting calendar.

"Last year, we learned a lesson," Malzahn said at the time. "I mean, it seemed like every weekend during the spring, it was official visits. And so I just want to make sure our staff's done a very good job recruiting this year, so we're going to give them extended time off and come back refreshed here are the end of next week and be ready to go."

Auburn was previously scheduled to practice every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for the first three weeks of drills.

The NCAA canceled national tournaments and championship events for 14 sports, including men's and women's basketball, earlier Thursday. All basketball tournaments scheduled to be played Thursday were also canceled. The Big East Tournament ended at halftime of a contest between St. John's and Creighton.

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