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Oklahoma to allow student-athletes back for football workouts starting July 1

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The University of Oklahoma announced Tuesday that it plans to reopen its facilities for voluntary football workouts on July 1.

The news comes as other teams and conferences stated they would reopen facilities up to a month earlier. The Pac-12 announced Tuesday that it will allow voluntary, in-person workouts beginning June 15.

Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley said earlier in May that the idea of bringing student-athletes back as early as June 1 was "one of the most ridiculous things" he'd ever heard.

By reopening on July 1, the school hopes to be fully prepared to handle safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"As I have stated before, we are going to approach this return with extreme care," Riley said Tuesday.

He added: "Our medical personnel have told us that the safest thing we can do is keep our players off campus for as long as possible. We chose the latest point that we could bring them back and still have enough time to prepare."

Students-athletes will be evaluated by school medical staff upon arrival at Oklahoma's facilities. They will be monitored and will have to follow safety protocols and guidelines.

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