SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 CEO Group unanimously voted to suspend all sports competitions by the end of the 2020 calendar year.
The decision was made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, which expressed its concern about continuing with contact practice. The committee’s report and updated guidelines can be found here: Pac-12 COVID-19 Back to Play Considerations – August 10, 2020 and a full list of Committee members can be found here: Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee. The conference also announced that if conditions improve, it will consider a return to competing sports for affected sports after January 1, 2021.
Student-athletes influenced by the proposal will continue to guarantee their scholarships. In addition, the Pac-12 conference strongly encourages the NCAA to lose students who exclude their academic year from the competition an additional year in consideration. As part of their guaranteed scholarships, they will continue to provide university support, including academic counseling and tutoring, among other support services.
“All Pac-12 presidents and chancellors understand the importance of this decision, and the disappointment it will create for our student-athletes, the coaches, support staff and all our fans,” said Michael H. Schill, president of ‘ the University of Oregon. “Ultimately, our decision was led by science and a deep commitment to the health and well-being of student-athletes. We certainly hope that the Pac-12 will be able to return to competition in the new year. ”
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those associated with Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the onset of this current crisis,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would have played the season this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”
Scott notes that although the conference’s detailed plan to maintain student-athlete safety worked in accordance with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee guidelines and state and local government orders, the situation became more challenging: “Unlike professional sports, college sports cannot operate in a bubble,” he said. “Our athletics programs are part of broader campuses in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is important. We will continue to monitor the situation and as circumstances change, we will be ready to explore all options to play the affected sports in the new calendar year. “
“We know this is a difficult day for our student-athletes, and our hearts go out to her and her families,” Scott added. “We have made it clear that all of their scholarships will be guaranteed, and that we as a conference strongly encourage the NCAA to give them an additional year in consideration.”
About the Pac-12 conference
The conference has a tradition as the “Conference of Champions,” leading the nation in NCAA championships in 54 of the last 60 years, with 529 NCAA team titles overall. The conference consists of 12 leading American universities – the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University. For more information about conference programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, visit Pac-12.com/conference.
