Big Ten, Pac-12 pull plug on fall football amid pandemic
The Big Ten and Pac-12 won’t play football this fall because of
concerns about COVID-19, taking two of college football’s five power
conferences out of a crumbling season amid the pandemic.
About an
hour after the Big Ten’s announcement, the Pac-12 called a news
conference to say its season would be postponed until the spring.
The
Big Ten’s announcement comes six days after the conference that
includes historic programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and
Penn State had released a revised conference-only football schedule that
it hoped would help it navigate a fall season with potential COVID-19
disruptions.
Instead, all fall sports in the Big Ten have been called off and a spring season will be explored.
The
decision was monumental but not a surprise. Speculation has run rampant
for several days that the Big Ten was moving toward this decision. On
Monday, coaches throughout the conference tried to push back the tide,
publicly pleading for more time and threatening to look elsewhere for
games this fall.
“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,” Big Ten Commissioner
Kevin Warren said in a statement. “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.”
Warren took
over as commissioner from Jim Delany at the start of this year. A former
longtime executive in the NFL, Warren walked into an unprecedented
problem for college sports.
During an interview on the Big Ten
Network, Warren was pressed on whether the decision was unanimous across
the conferences and if Big Ten teams could still try to play a fall
season, as some coaches suggested Monday.
Warren declined to answer.
“We
are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to
postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be
ready to play,” University of Nebraska leadership said in a statement.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said the Buckeyes would have preferred to play.
“I wish we would have had a little more time to evaluate,” Smith told Big Ten Network.
Over
the last month, conferences have been reworking schedules in the hopes
of being able to buy some time and play a season. The Big Ten was the
first to go to conference-only play, doing it in early July.
The
Pac-12 followed two days later and eventually all the Power Five
conferences switched to either all conference play or mostly.
The
first FBS conference to pull the plug on a fall season was the
Mid-American Conference on Saturday, and then the Mountain West did the
same on Monday.
But those conferences don’t have the revenue,
reach and history of the Big Ten, which seemed positioned to pour
resources into trying to protect their athletes from getting and
spreading COVID-19.
The Big Ten touts itself as the oldest college
athletic conference in the country, dating back to 1896 when it was
called the Western Conference, and its schools have been playing
football ever since. It became the Big Ten in 1918 and grew into a
football powerhouse.
The 14 Big Ten schools span from Maryland and
Rutgers on the East Coast to Iowa and Nebraska out west. Not only has
it been one of the most successful conferences on the field but off the
field it has become one of the wealthiest.
The Big Ten, with its lucrative television network, distributes about $50 million per year to its members.
The Pac-12’s members are in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Statements
“I am heartbroken by today’s news of the postponement of the Big Ten fall sports schedule. As a lifelong Hoosier and IU sports fan I am disappointed that we won’t be able to enjoy seeing our teams compete, but I am most devastated for our students. They invest an enormous amount of time, effort, and energy for the opportunity to represent IU on the field. But as difficult as it is to absorb, I am confident it is the right decision. Throughout this process, the Big Ten Conference has made the health and safety of our students, staffs, and communities the No. 1 concern and priority. Today, our medical experts believe it is not currently safe to take the next step to participating in intercollegiate competitions. I continue to appreciate Commissioner Kevin Warren for his leadership and guidance through these unprecedented times. We will continue to focus on the development of our students academically, athletically, and personally as we move forward.”
Scott Dolson, IU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics
The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In making its decision, which was based on multiple factors, the Big Ten Conference relied on the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.
“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.”
The fall sports included in this announcement are men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. The Big Ten Conference will continue to evaluate a number of options regarding these sports, including the possibility of competition in the spring. Decisions regarding winter and spring sports will also continue to be evaluated.
The Big Ten Conference is proud of its 14 world-class research institutions and has leveraged their resources and expertise to address this pandemic over the past five months. The Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee have engaged in extensive research and sharing of materials and conversations with federal, state and local government agencies, and professional and international sports organizations in order to track and better understand the daily updates surrounding this pandemic. Their advice and counsel have been invaluable as they have worked tirelessly over the past several months in their efforts to create and maintain a safe environment for athletics.
The Big Ten Conference will continue to work with medical experts and governmental authorities to gather additional information, evaluate emerging data and technologies, and monitor developments regarding the pandemic to make the best decisions possible for the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes.Statement from Big Ten Conference