There may finally be some clarity 

surrounding college football.

After a meeting on Tuesday 

morning, Big Ten Presidents and 
Chancellors voted to postpone fall 
sports.

“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. “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.”

Men’s 
and 
women’s 
soccer 

and cross country, field hockey, 
volleyball and football will all be 

affected by the decision.

The unprecedented move comes 

in times dominated by confusion. 
The decision was made a day 
after the Big Ten refuted multiple 
reports that the college Presidents 
of the conference voted to cancel fall 
athletics over the weekend. Reports 
are that the PAC-12 will follow 
the Big Ten’s path and postpone 
its season, with hopes of a Spring 
season for the sports affected.

“For the second time in five 

months, the Big Ten Conference 

made the unfortunate but necessary 
decision to postpone an athletic 
season in order to protect the health 
and well-being of our student-
athletes, staff, and community 
members,” 
Michigan 
athletic 

directory Warde Manuel said in 
a release Tuesday. “As a result, 
all fall sport schedules have been 
postponed. This latest decision was 
reached after careful consideration 
and the grim knowledge that this 
pandemic continues to affect our 
country adversely. I am deeply 
saddened for our student-athletes 
and remain committed to our 
ongoing promise to provide them 
with 
a 
world-class 
education. 

We 
remain 
grateful 
to 
our 

global Michigan family for their 
unwavering support.”

The decision to cancel contradicts 

the wishes of its players and coaches, 
who took to Twitter Sunday to 
tweet support for playing football. 
Jim Harbaugh on Monday released 
a statement in support of playing 
football, saying his program has 
been able to limit the spread of 
COVID-19. Nebraska coach Scott 
Frost said Nebraska will explore 
every option to play football, even if 
the Big Ten votes to cancel.

“Our 
football 
team, 
our 

coaching staff, our support stadd 
in Schembechler Hall have all 
stepped up, followed every rule, 
and done everything in their 
power magnificently to give all 
the opportunity to compete,” 
Harbaugh’s 
new 
statement 
on 

Tuesday said. “I am extremely 
proud, thankful and appreciative 

of our team and how they have 
conducted and represented our 
program and university.”

A spokesperson for the football 

team told The Daily that the team 
will continue to hold voluntary 
practices, meetings and strength 
and conditioning for 20 hours per 
week, including practice on Tuesday. 
The statement released by athletic 
director Warde Manuel says that all 
athletic activities will be suspended 
immediately, including practices. 
The Daily was told that line will 
change on the announcement, as the 
Big Ten cleared Michigan to work 
under the 20-hour rule.

University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel released a statement on 
Twitter supporting the decision 
to postpone, in contrast with 
Harbaugh.

“I fully support the difficult 

Big Ten decision to postpone fall 
athletics competition,” Schlissel 
wrote. “There are too many poorly 
understood 
health 
and 
safety 

concerns unique to intercollegiate 
athletics to move forward with 
practices 
and 
competition 
at 

present -- and the impact of extreme 
physical exertion on the health risk 
of COVID-19 has not been well-
assessed.

“I join athletic director Warde 

Manuel and everyone at Michigan 
Athletics 
in 
expressing 
my 

empathy to all who were looking 
forward to competing, coaching, 
supporting 
and 
cheering 
us 

on as members of the Wolverine 
family. I particularly feel badly for 
our student-athletes who gain so 

much from participation in their 
sports and are such outstanding 
representatives of the university. 
We will work hard to return them 
safely to competition.”

The delay gives both America 

and colleges time to contain the 
spread of the virus and adjust to the 
return of students, one of the biggest 
hurdles that still faces colleges 
trying to return safely and educate 
its students. In order for there to be 
sports, first the student population 
on campus must be healthy and the 
Big Ten needs to know the impact 
that students have on the numbers 
of COVID-19 cases.

“While I know our decision 

today will be disappointing in many 
ways for our thousands of student-
athletes 
and 
their 
families,” 

Warren said, “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.”

Time, right now, is all the Big Ten 

has that can make the possibility 
of any sports a reality, something 
that schools across the country 
have been trying to get more of 
throughout the summer as the 
decision has been delayed time and 
time again. Now, it has until spring 
to make a the final decision.

Nicholas Stoll and Emma Stein 

contributed to the reporting of this 
story.

MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily

Following a presidents’ meeting, the Big Ten conference voted to postpone fall sports earlier this month.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Monday, August 31, 2020 — 19

Big Ten postpones fall sports season

KENT SCHWARTZ

Summer Managing Sports Editor

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