SALT LAKE CITY – Speculation became reality on Tuesday when the Pac-12 pulled the plug on football and all sports leagues by the end of the calendar year. The CEO Group of the conference, consisting of school chairmen and chancellors, took the unanimous decision in the wake of ongoing medical advice regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those associated with Pac-12 sports have been our number one priority since the onset of this current crisis,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “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.”
The conference, which outlined all bankruptcy sports, said it would return to competition for those sports that are affected “as conditions improve,” not happening until Jan. 1, 2021.
Scott notes that Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee guidelines, along with state and local government orders, were followed in an increasingly challenging situation.
“Unlike professional sports, university sports cannot operate in a bubble. Our athletics programs are part of broader campuses in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is important, ”he said. “We will continue the situation and if 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.”
The announcement concludes a run of 100 consecutive seasons that Utah has played football this fall. The Utes were sidelined in 1918 due to a shortage of players (an abundance of military involvement from World War I) and the Spanish flu.
“We know this presents a major limitation for so many of our student-athletes across multiple sports programs, and especially for our seniors in those sports,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan wrote in an online letter. “We have worked hard for months in consultation with top medical experts to create a safe path for competition in these sports, and use all the information and time available to us. However, with the challenges and complexities presented by COVID-19, medical advice does not support the fallout season. ”
Harlan explained that his department’s focus will continue to focus on providing the academic, emotional and physical well-being of student athletes. “They will continue to prepare for their upcoming academic semester, and they will continue to have the same access to our first-class medical care, mental health care, academic support, nutrition and food and scholarship grants.”
Harlan acknowledged that there was a lot of disappointment involved in the decision.
“It was prudent that we do our best to maintain the opportunity for our fall sport to compete in 2020. Our ability to serve our student-athletes is something we strive to maintain in every possible way, and our ability to do so is best served by having fall sports. I feel very confident that every responsible avenue was explored in this pursuit, and I support this very difficult decision made by the Pac-12 CEO Group, ”he said.
Utah released a statement released by head coach Kyle Whittingham shortly after the official announcement.
“We knew for a while that this was a possibility. However, it is still disappointing news for our program, our fans and especially for our student-athletes,” Whittingham said. “We respect the guidance of the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee and the decision made today by the Pac-12 CEO Group, and we will continue to focus on the academics of our players and their development. Us no. 1 priority is always the well-being of our players, and their health and safety come first. ”
A sampling of player reaction on Twitter was expressed by quarterback Jake Bentley, a transfer from South Carolina.
‘Life – 10% of what happens to you. 90% how you react to it. Not the decision we wanted, but no reason to be defeated, “he tweeted. “Find positive in every situation. I will still work to get better every day. ”
It’s been a busy and uncertain few weeks in college football, especially in the Pac-12:
- July 11: The Pac-12 announced that several fall sports, including football, would play a single conference schedule this year. Mandatory activities would also be delayed until sufficient positive data is collected through a series of health and safety indicators.
- July 31: A football schedule of 10 games for each team was released by the Pac-12. Utah’s season opener should be September 26 in Washington State. The revised scheme is designed to provide “maximum flexibility” in the coronavirus pandemic.
- August 2: A group of Pac-12 players had placed many demands on the website ‘The Players’ Tribune. The manifesto, sort of, began with the headline “Health & Safety” and included applications for COVID-19 protections and mandatory standard maintained by a third party to tackle the coronavirus, serious injury, abuse and death.
- August 8: The Pac-12 players behind the ‘WeAreUnited’ movement expressed ‘disappointment’ and said they were ‘deeply concerned’ after a meeting with Scott. The group accused the commissioner of not taking their issues seriously enough.
“Without a tangible plan and mandates to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, it is absurd, insulting and deadly to expect a season to continue,” the group said in an email sent to the conference and media.
- August 10: ESPN reports indicate that a medical discovery has caused concern among conference administrators. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, is linked to COVID-19. If undiagnosed / not treated as fatal.
