A crumbling American college football season took a massive hit on Tuesday when the Big Ten and Pac-12, two historic and powerful conferences, succumbed to the pandemic and cancelled their campaigns.
Almost five months almost to the day after the first spikes in coronavirus cases in the US led to the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments, the still raging pandemic is tearing down another national sports institution.
"This was an extremely difficult and painful decision that we know will have important impacts on our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and our fans," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. "We know nothing will ease that."
Despite pleas from players, coaches and President Donald Trump in recent days to play on, 40 per cent of major college football teams have now decided to withdraw this season, a decision that will cost schools tens of millions of dollars.
Both conferences cited the risk of trying to keep players from contracting and spreading the coronavirus when the programs are not operating in a bubble like the NBA and NHL are doing.
They also cited the broader state of the pandemic in the United States, which has had more than five million cases of COVID-19.
"Every life is critical," said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren.
"We wanted to make sure we continually, not only in our words but in our actions, do put the health and safety and wellness of our student-athletes first."
Even after the Big Ten made its call, there were diverging thoughts about how to proceed.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said he would have liked to have pushed back the season start from September 5 to maybe early October.
"Wish we could have had a little bit more time to evaluate, but we certainly understand this was the time we had to pull the plug," Smith told the Big Ten network.
A statement from Nebraska's president, athletic director and coach was more stern: "We are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play."
Australian Associated Press
