Boston College Players Elect To Not Play in Bowl This Season
Boston College is the first school to publicly announce that they will not be attending a bowl game. Per release from the school:
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Pat Kraft and The Gregory P. Barber '69 and Family Head Football Coach Jeff Hafley announced today that Boston College’s football student-athletes have elected to not participate in a bowl game this season.
The decision was fully supported by Kraft, Hafley and the Boston College administration.
“Our student-athletes have sacrificed so much since June to even make this season possible for BC and our fans and now it is time for them to focus on finishing up the semester strong and going home to spend time with their families and loved ones,” said Kraft. “Very few teams in the country handled playing in a pandemic better than our student-athletes have and I thank them for all of their hard work and sacrifice to make it through the season. While the team has decided to conclude its season, we have the utmost respect for our ACC bowl partners and we look forward to participating in the postseason again in 2021.”
Boston College had just one football student-athlete test positive for COVID-19 since the entire team began workouts on-campus in late June.
“I can’t thank our players enough for the sacrifice and commitment they showed to each other, to our team and to our community,” said Hafley. “I am so proud to be their coach and I am thankful they now have the opportunity to go home for the first time since June to see their families. The young men in our program and our coaches and staff have been through an incredible six months and the restrictions placed on our student-athletes along with their adherence to strict COVID-19 policies and protocols took a mental and physical toll on them. People may not fully understand just how grueling this season was and our team needs and deserves an extended break to help recharge their minds and bodies.”
The Eagles finished the 2020 season 6-5 overall and 5-5 in the ACC. BC played nine straight games to start the season before its first idle week on Nov. 21.