VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — "It just felt like the closest thing to normal in a long time."
Norfolk State Head Coach Latrell Scott sounds done with the Zoom meetings.
"There's nothing like being around teammates in a competitive environment, and having coaches pushing you, showing you the right way to do things," said Scott, his players making their way off the field.
The Spartans hadn't taken the field together since coronavirus invaded the sports world in March. That changed this week with drills, conditioning, and weight lifting taking place under the guise of safety regulations.
"The most used phrase is, 'Put your mask on,' but other than that you're just coaching, and making sure guys are trying to be safe," Scott says through his own green and gold mask.
Football was always supposed to be untouchable, the one area of life where players could escape the real world.
"We've all been around football for most of our lives, so when it gets taken away it can take you to a pretty dark place," said Scott, sun shining down on him as the grass recovers from its first taste of cleats in months.