The Big Ten’s decision to put off bankruptcy sports with the option to move the schedule to the spring put one of the country’s best quarterbacks on the sidelines.
Ohio State’s Justin Fields will no longer be able to play due to the Big Ten’s decision to put the season on hold due to the coronavirus. The quarterback had a three-letter response to the news.
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“Smh …” he tweeted Tuesday.
While it is possible Fields may switch to a school that decides to play in the fall, the more likely option is that he declares for the NFL Draft and forgets his NCAA qualification. Fields is likely to be a top-10 pick in the NFL, according to top experts.
The Big Ten has expressed an opportunity to play in the spring, but nothing was set in stone when the conference was announced Tuesday.
“The mental and physical health and well-being of our student-athletes were at the heart of every decision we made about the opportunity to move forward,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “As time went on and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force on Emerging Illness and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became very clear that there was too much uncertainty about potential medical risks to our student- athletes to participate in this fall. “
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Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith published a separate statement on the matter.
“This is an incredibly sad day for our student-athletes, who have worked so hard and warned so hard to fight this pandemic to get this close to their season,” Smith said. ‘My heart beats for her and her families.
“[Ohio State President-elect Kristina M. Johnson] and I was completely attuned to our attempt to delay the start of the season instead of postponing it. I am so grateful to her for all her commitment to supporting our student-athletes and a traditional fall season.
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“As an institution and as an athletics department, we have a primary responsibility to ensure the health, safety and wellness of our students and staff, and I believe we have done so successfully.”
