There will be no Pac-12 college sports for the rest of 2020.
The Pac-12 CEO Group of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to postpone all sports competitions, including football, through the end of the 2020 calendar year on Tuesday with the hope of starting games from January 1, 2021.
“We fully understand that this has a tremendous human impact,” said President Michael Schill of the University of Oregon. ‘We have students whose dream it was this year to play and that dream, at least in the autumn, will not happen. We have families, we have coaches, we have all kinds of people who hope we can do this and that’s one of the reasons why we delayed our decision so far, because we wanted to do the best shot . But at last we looked at the recent evidence of the heart, we looked at proliferation – which is increasing in some of our areas – we are looking at government guidelines. We just said there are too many questions and too much uncertainty, so we continue to evaluate and hopefully we will play in the spring. ””
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said the conference still guarantees scholarships to all affected athletes and it “strongly encourages” the NCAA to give students who take part in a competition this academic year an additional year of eligibility. The Board of Directors of the NCAA Division, which includes Athletic Director Washington, Pat Chun, met on Wednesday and is expected to be eligible for fallout athletes among other topics.
“This was a very difficult and painful decision that we know will have a significant impact on our student-athletes and coaches, administrators and our fans,” Scott said. “I know nothing that we can say that will reduce some of the disappointment, especially for some of our seniors.”
The Pac-12 decision came less than two hours after the Big Ten postponed fall sports after the spring, as the two Power 5 conferences joined the MAC and Mountain West in canceling their fall football seasons. The Big 12 presidents and chancellors met Tuesday night, while the ACC and SEC each issued statements indicating that they remained on the course, at least for now, to play this fall.
But the Pac-12 decision makes 53 of 130 FBS programs to announce that they will not be playing in the fall and raises more uncertainty about what an autumn season might even look like for those still aiming to play.
“I feel for our student-athletes, coaches and staff on such a difficult day, and I appreciate their leadership at this time,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “The health and safety of our student-athletes will always guide our decisions and be our top priority, and we will continue to deliver our first-class standard care to our student-athletes without interruption, including supportive support, full medical and mental health services, academic support and other support services.
‘We have worked hard over the past few months with our peers from Pac-12 conferences, university leadership, medical experts, and our local and state health officials to find a safe path to bankruptcy sports competition. Unfortunately, the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 currently prevents us from making contact.
“We appreciate the expert advice of the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Group, Lane County Public Health, and the Oregon Health Authority, as well as all the incredible efforts of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff in making our measurement, phase return to workouts so successful up to this point. We will follow the guidance of public health experts and work with peer institutions in monitoring this situation, in the hope that improving conditions can give us a return to competition for our student-athletes. ”
The move comes after a tumultuous weekend across the college sports landscape that ended with a degree of optimism after several prominent players across the country joined forces to express their desire and ask for national COVID-19 test standards, the ability to choose of play, for qualification are insured when there is no season and for the possible establishment of a players’ association.
But those efforts and conversations of coaches, athletic directors, select university presidents and chancellors and politicians across the country have so far been subjected to pressure caused in large part by the continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of contracting COVID-19 .
The main criteria on which the Pac-12 based its decision were the rate of community spread of the virus and test and contact detection capabilities at the locations around each member school and the “new and evolving” information on myocarditis, a inflammation of the heart muscle, found in some individuals who contracted and contracted COVID-19.
“We are reluctant to conclude that there is no indication that things are likely to change in terms of the criteria that will affect this in the coming weeks,” Scott said. “We had to balance that with the kind of clarity and certainty our coaches and student-athletes want.”
It was only 10 days ago that the Pac-12 announced its renewed, 10-game conference-only schedule of games for the 2020 season, which would begin on September 26th.
But even that day, Scott was not sure if there would be a season, but said the conference did everything it could ‘to keep the chance, if the health and community conditions allow us to move forward and if Public health authorities allow us to move forward. “
Given the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors, with the guidance of medical experts from their school, it is not viable to continue, nor will it be for long.
“We’re moving to another scenario,” Scott said. ‘Looks like we have more work to do. We know that as soon as we feel comfortable and that it is safer – and some of these questions will be answered as we feel more comfortable.
“As soon as possible, we’ll want to play.”
