FAYETTEVILLE — In an unprecedented move, the sports world as we know it has come to a grinding halt in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Following in the footsteps of professional leagues around the globe, the Southeastern Conference announced Friday that all sports - games, events and practices - would be suspended until at least April 15.

That news came a day after the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships, meaning there would be no March Madness for men’s or women’s basketball or even College World Series in June, among other things.

Considering the uniqueness of the situation, it is not surprising that fans have a lot of questions about how these announcements impact Arkansas.

Some of the questions still don’t have great answers, as the SEC’s athletics directors are meeting via a daily teleconference, but Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek provided some when he met with the media Friday afternoon. You can watch the entire press conference on the HawgBeat YouTube page free.

Here are the most frequently asked questions…

Is it possible baseball, softball and other spring sports could resume after April 15?

The SEC originally announced events were suspended through March 30, but pushed that back another couple of weeks the following day. That means there is a chance those sports could resume, but Yurachek did not sound particularly encouraged that it would happen because of the limited timeframe they’d have and the lack of a national championship.

“I think it will be extremely challenging for our student-athletes and our coaches, after taking a month off, to quickly start a season back up again,” Yurachek said. “You’ve got to think, just the timing of that, if we are able to start practicing again some time after April 15 how many weeks of preparation you need to get ready to start a season again. It’s going to be a challenge.”

What about spring football?

Although SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Thursday that each school would have the power to make decisions regarding practices, the latest decision includes all athletic-related activities. That means no competition, practices or workouts.

The Razorbacks were scheduled to begin spring practice Monday, but that has been put on hold. With there being no chance of even starting until after April 15, it doesn’t appear they will be able to get all 15 practices in as the current rules are written. It would likely require an adjustment that’d allow them to do some practices over the summer - when teams are traditionally doing workouts and can’t do on-field practices with coaches.

“I don't think it's reasonable…without some kind of waiver or some type of provision in our legislative body, that spring football can finish,” Yurachek said. “We have to be done, based on our academic calendar, by the date April 25. That's not going to happen. That will be one of the things we ask the NCAA as a conference for some legislative relief.”

By legislative relief, Yurachek means that they'd request extra practice dates in the summer/fall to make up for some programs having already completed some practices while others have not.

Will the athletes get an extra year of eligibility?

A committee for Division I announced Friday that they would provide eligibility relief for athletes essentially losing a year of their collegiate careers because of the coronavirus cancellations. Typically they have only five years to play four, so losing a year would cost those who have already redshirted 25 percent of their career.

How that relief will look remains to be seen. Most of the focus has been on seniors, but it sounds as thought the relief would also be available for juniors, sophomores and freshmen, who also lost the year. However, it’s not just as easy as saying everyone gets an extra year, as Yurachek explained in the press conference.

“If you let your seniors come back and you’ve got incoming freshmen, you will obviously go over your roster and scholarship limits for many sports,” Yurachek said. “So it’s just not as simple as saying everyone gets a year back. There’s a lot more discussion about the details, really, before you can say that’s going to happen.”

What will the athletes do?

The University of Arkansas has shifted from in-person classes to all online for the remainder of the semester, so - with sports suspended - there is nothing tying the athletes to Fayetteville at the moment. Because of that, Yurachek said each student will have the opportunity to decide if he/she wants to remain on campus in their dorms/apartments or return home.

“At this point, it’s not about them being student-athletes here, it’s about them personally,” Yurachek said. “We’ll send out a letter later today to the parents of our student-athletes (for them to) make the decision for them and their family that they believe is in the best interest of the student.”

Those who remain on campus will have access to the Jones Center, where they can take advantage of the nutrition, academic and mental health resources. All athletics facilities - such as gyms, fields and weight rooms - will be closed. Athletes recovering from injuries can still schedule appointments with trainers, but training rooms will not be open. All meetings with coaches will be suspended after 5 p.m. Monday.

Can I get my money back for tickets to these suspended events?

Yes. Arkansas will provide a full refund or credits to future ticket purchases for tickets to events scheduled between now and April 15. Yurachek said they will address events after April 15 when a final decision is made.

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