See now:
Penn State AD unaware There was a vote to cancel the big ten season
(1:40)
It’s just over a week since the Big Ten canceled fall football in 2020 and the airing of grievances from athletic directors, coaches, players, and even their parents has not stopped. The ongoing fallout from the Big Ten monumental decision out of COVID-19’s concerns seems to be less about the actual decision itself and more about the lack of transparency in the process.
The last to express his frustration over this is James Penn Frank’s coach. Meeting with journalists almost complained Franklin about the Big Ten’s inability to communicate adequately not why it came to the decision it did – said that decision came less than a week after the release of the 2020 scheme – but how it’s on players this year and over.
“I’m extremely frustrated because we still have very few answers to communicate with our young men and their families about their futures and very little understanding of the factors that contribute to the decision,” he said. Franklin said.
Qualification for student-athletes is and will continue to be an important topic, as some conferences and schools postpone football for the spring, while others play in the fall. The NCAA Board could have an answer finalized by August 21st. In the meantime, there are many people, including Franklin, asking to know what has changed for the conference during the fall election.
“It worked … then all [of a] suddenly it changes and you were not part of the conversation and you did not understand why, ” Franklin said. “The amount of communication we’ve had before and after has been pretty good, but when the decision was actually made, the decision caught a lot of people off guard. The decision came before everyone was on board and understanding it. “
Franklin’s points reflect those of the Big Ten admins, who this week just did not shine clearly on exactly how the mood fell to go, if not continue, with a season. To be clear, Franklin understood the difficult decision not to play football in the fall asks to praise the decision itself, but the inability for the conference to deliver a clear, concise and uniform message has been a rare fumble for one of the most powerful conferences in university athletics.
The chance at the rate of the Big Ten reversal is slim, even with all the PR hits it has taken over the past week. Although the Big Ten has abused its communication, a decision of this magnitude would undergo even more scrutiny if it were reversed. In the end, the league probably would not have made a decision if it did, which could have left more options on the table, such as a winter season, as Franklin suggested.
However, something is being done and it would probably take a big medical breakthrough for the Big Ten to play football sooner rather than later.
