Big Ten, Pac-12 conferences cancel fall sports in what could amount to millions of dollars in losses
Three of the remaining Power 5 college sports conferences have yet to announce their plans for the fall season; Garrett Tenney reports.
Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask added his voice to the growing number of student-athletes advocating for playing football this season despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Trask tweeted a message in support of playing Wednesday, following the likes of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. The message came after the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences announced that the fall sports season was postponed.
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“We are in unprecedented time as a country and as student-athletes,” the tweeted statement read. “As such, we, the leadership committee of the University of Florida football team, want to make our voices heard… WE WANT TO PLAY!
Kyle Trask of the Florida Gators looks to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 30, 2019, in Miami, Florida. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“We feel the safest place for us is with our teammates in the structured environment of the football program. We are following the medical protocols that have been put in place based on the recommendations of the CDC and UF Health. In following these protocols, we currently have zero athletes in quarantine," he continued.
“We have already lost a great deal of our athletic development this season due to COVID-19. We want to make sure we have the opportunity to continue our growth on and off the field in order to accomplish our team and personal goals. We are the ones taking the risks of playing our sport, and we continue to do so with the underlying risks involved."
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“As we continue our journey to play, we ask for the support for not only ourselves, but all Student-Athletes for the ability to continue to chase their dreams. Due to the lack of knowledge and data of the long-term effects of COVID-19, as well as other injures and conditions sustained; we as Student-Athletes are asking that the NCAA and Athletic Departments across the nation consider extending the medical support that is currently provided to us for a period of time following our departure from campus. Once again, these are unprecedented times, and WE WANT TO PLAY; however, it is also our obligation as a Student-Athlete, in which we love, in a better position for Student-Athletes.”
The SEC has yet to postpone its season – as have the ACC and Big 12.
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“I look forward to learning more about the factors that led the Big Ten and Pac-12 leadership to take these actions today,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement Tuesday. “I remain comfortable with the thorough and deliberate approach that the SEC and our 14 members are taking to support a healthy environment for our student-athletes. We will continue to further refine our policies and protocols for a safe return to sports as we monitor developments around COVID-19 in a continued effort to support, educate and care for our student-athletes every day.”
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