VIDEO: Illini Now/SI Afternoon Update With Matthew Stevens - July 12, 2020
The Illini Now/Sports Illustrated 'Morning Update' with publisher Matthew Stevens gives you a look at the top stories involving Illinois athletics.
IlliniNow/Sports Illustrated publisher/editor Matthew Stevens talks about how on Thursday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference announced its 14 member schools will only play games within its own league for all of the 2020 fall sports, including the most important revenue-generating sports - football.
All of the site publishers/editors at Big Ten sites for this Maven/Sports Illustrated operation wanted give their individual reactions to this unprecedented news related to the world's coronavirus health and safety pandemic. The site publishers/editors at Big Ten sites had similar but partially different takes on the situation.
- One other note: Stevens also talks about The Pac-12 Conference announcing Friday it will replicate the Big Ten Conference's decision from a day ago and have its fall sports seasons be played with a conference-only schedule. In addition to football, the Pac-12’s announcement, which came after a conference call by all of its school's athletic directors, will also include men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The Pac-12 said it is also removing any mandatory workout start date for football programs. The original date that Pac-12 Conference programs could begin workouts and film sessions was July 13 but that is now an unknown proposition due to complications that have arisen regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Later Friday evening, the Pac-12 Conference also announced commissioner Larry Scott has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the league release, Scott was reportedly tested late this week after experiencing mild flu-like symptoms and is self-quarantining himself at the direction of his physician. The release continues to say Scott, 55, is continuing to carrying out his normal work duties remotely.