The NCAA board of governors on Friday avoided making major decisions about the fall sports championships, declaring it will continue discussions in August, a decision likely to appease FBS conference commissioners and athletic directors who voiced strong opposition. to cancel the championships at this time. in the coronavirus pandemic.
The board of governors, which is comprised primarily of university presidents representing all three divisions, has the authority to cancel or postpone the NCAA Fall Championships for sports such as soccer, women’s volleyball, and FCS soccer. However, regular season games and schedules are at the discretion of individual schools or their conferences.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Friday, NCAA President Mark Emmert said he and the board “will continue to aggressively and closely monitor health conditions across the country and the implementation of COVID-19 guidelines that We issued last week.
“The health and wellness of college athletes is the top priority in deciding whether to proceed with our 22 NCAA championships starting in late November,” he said. “We all remain deeply concerned about the infection trend lines we see. It is clear that the format of our championships will have to change if they are carried out safely and fairly.”
While a possible cancellation of the NCAA Fall Sports Championships does not directly affect the FBS College Football Playoff or FBS College Football Season, decision makers across the sport are concerned about the effect the trickle that the decision would finally have in large-scale college football.
In a July 21 letter to the NCAA board of governors and shared with ESPN on Wednesday, the chairman of the Football Oversight Committee, Shane Lyons, asked the board not to make an immediate decision “to that conferences and schools have enough freedom to continue evaluating the feasibility of playing soccer this fall. “
Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche, who is the president of the Association of University Commissioners, said 27 of the 32 Division I conferences that make up the group also sent a letter to the board of governors of the NCAA this week asking for patience in the decision-making process. .
Lyons, also the West Virginia athletic director, told ESPN on Friday that he considered the board’s approach to be good news.
“Obviously, we appreciate that you look at the matter and put off any decision at this point,” Lyons said. “It gives us more time to keep watching the virus trends and make decisions in the coming weeks.”
The board of governors is expected to meet again on August 4, but Lyons said that date, less than two weeks away, is still too early to make a decision on the fall championships.
“Right now, the letter will even remain on August 4,” he said. “I still feel that the time in early August is not yet the time to make a call that will impact something in November, December for the Fall Championships, which could be powerful in the FBS bowl and football games and the regular season. ” Time is an advantage, and we must take advantage of it and not rush to make decisions until we need more and keep moving forward. “
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