Big Ten Extends Suspension Of Team Activities

Moratorium, which now goes through June 1, was set to expire on Monday.

The Big Ten on Monday announced that its suspension of all team activities would continue through June 1 because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

It was an extension of the Big Ten's order that was set to expire on Monday.

The Big Ten's statement:

The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will extend the previously announced suspension of all organized team activities through June 1, 2020, and will re-evaluate again at that time.

This is an additional measure to the previously announced cancellation of all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year. The Conference also has previously announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

The Big Ten Conference will continue to use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main priority of the Big Ten Conference is to ensure the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.

There has been no activity in the conference since the original moratorium was declared on March 13, one day after the conference canceled the remaining four days of the league's men's basketball tournament in Indianapolis.

University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld suggested during last week's Iowa Board of Regents meeting that June 1 was a target date for the return of activities on campus.

"Our expectation ... we have a moratorium on all team-related activities until June 1," Harreld said in response to a question from Board of Regents member David Barker about the upcoming football season. "And so we're ever so hopeful that this virus will be behind us at that point, (and) we'll be able to get back to what we normally do."

Harreld later issued a statement clarifying his remarks, saying, "As I said, in conjunction with our fellow members of the Big Ten, we are exploring all options. But our first priority is the health and safety of our student athletes and fans”