Archives for August 11, 2020

Football Season Now Appears to be Irrevocably Cancelled

The Tuesday meeting is over. Looks like our worst fears were founded, possibly, maybe. Big Ten presidents decided it was unsafe to go forward with the football season.

The Big Ten released the following statements:

“Our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President.

“The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.

“We know how significant the student-athlete experience can be in shaping the future of the talented young women and men who compete in the Big Ten Conference. Although that knowledge made this a painstaking decision, it did not make it difficult.

“While I know our decision today will be disappointing in many ways for our thousands of student-athletes and their families, I am heartened and inspired by their resilience, their insightful and discerning thoughts, and their participation through our conversations to this point. Everyone associated with the Big Ten Conference and its member institutions is committed to getting everyone back to competition as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Is Spring football a possibility?

Who knows? Certainly, the coaches and the players will be pressing for it.

I wouldn’t be surprised at anything right now, as they appear to be making stuff up as we move along.

That is the existential question of the week for Big Ten football. While yesterday all indications (and most rumors) pointed to a complete Big Ten shutdown, today we’re not so sure. The Big Ten presidents are meeting as I write this. Who knows what could result?

Pushback to the leaked story by Dan Patrick and the Detroit Free Press has been considerable. Jim Harbaugh has gone public stated that he wants to play football. So has Ryan Day. Our man in the hot seat, James Franklin, has tweeted the same. And Scott Frost of Nebraska defiantly states that Nebraska will play, even if it must play outside the Big Ten. The players want to play, and they have been quite vocal about it on social media.

Oy vey, an insurrection against their presidents and chancellors, already. These guys have the balls we fans want them to have, leaning on the “culture of football” more than anything else. Of course, the University of Facebook has all the answers. If you want the definitive truth, just go there for the erudite, crowd-sourced take on the situation. Yes, that was sarcastic.

So, listen, I apologize for jumping the gun like everyone else. My current stance is wait for the minute-by-minute developments to unfold.

There is some indication that the Big Ten presidents might reconsider the vote they said they didn’t do and let the season run. The start could be postponed. Additional medical testing and precautions could be added. That thing better have numbers on it!

Let’s see what comes out of the 10:30 meeting.

The ESPN wonks, led by hometown girl Heather Dinich, analyzed the current situation for all the Power Five Conferences as of this morning.