Pitt pauses spring football practices over COVID issues

The Pitt football program paused its spring practice sessions on Tuesday as a result of COVID-19 protocols, according to an announcement from the school. However, the pause only affects in-person activities, and virtual team meetings will still be held.

Pitt began its spring football practices on March 14 and has completed four of 15 scheduled sessions at this time. The team last paused activities in compliance with COVID-19 protocols on Nov. 12, during its 2020 season. That pause came ahead of a game at Georgia Tech originally set for Nov. 14. The game was rescheduled for Dec. 12 as a result.

COVID-19 issues limited player availability periodically throughout the 2020 season, as Pitt was missing one or more players in its matchups with Austin Peay, Syracuse, Florida State and Virginia Tech last year due to COVID-19 protocols. The ongoing issue saw the Panthers face the Hokies with 18 players out due to COVID-19 issues on Nov. 21, but still they managed to pull off a 47-14 win.

At this time, it is unclear when Pitt’s spring practices will resume. Pitt's COVID-19 issues could also jeopardize the upcoming spring game, but for now, it is still scheduled to kick off from Heinz Field on April 17 at 1 p.m. ET.