Alabama football players were provided Apple Watches if they previously did not have them before leaving the school's campus amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to The Athletic, the watches are "being utilized to monitor the health of their players, gauging the sleep patterns and heart spikes of each player, no different from a Fitbit," and not to oversee workouts or provide workout instruction.
Head coach Nick Saban first mentioned the use of Apple Watches Thursday afternoon during a conference call with reporters.
“They were very instrumental in setting up this whole program of what we’re doing with the players in terms of Apple Watches for their workouts, apps on their phones for weight training programs,” Saban said, referring to his strength and conditioning coaches.