Warren: Big Ten Decision To Postpone 'Will Not Be Revisited'
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in an open letter to the conference on Wednesday that he understood the responses to the decision to postpone all fall sports, but that the decision "will not be revisited."
Warren's letter came eight days after the conference's decision to halt the fall sports seasons, including football, and try to play in the spring because of medical concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision caused plenty of negative reaction within the conference from athletes, coaches and players, something Warren said in the letter that he realized.
"We thoroughly understand and deeply value what sports mean to our student-athletes, their families, our coaches and our fans," Warren wrote.
Warren said there was a vote by the Big Ten's Council of Presidents and Chancellors, and it "was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports."
"The decision was thorough and deliberative, and based on sound feedback, guidance and advice from medical experts," Warren said.
The Big Ten's decision to postpone the fall sports season was made six days after the release of the 10-game conference-only schedule.
"We understand the disappointment and questions surrounding the timing of our decision to postpone fall sports, especially in light of releasing a football schedule only six days prior to that decision," Warren said in the letter. "From the beginning, we consistently communicated our commitment to cautiously proceed one day at a time with the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes at the center of our decision-making process. That is why we took simultaneous paths in releasing the football schedule, while also diligently monitoring the spread of the virus, testing, and medical concerns as student-athletes were transitioning to full-contact practice."
Warren said the primary factors that led to the decision included:
• Transmission rates were rising at an alarming rate, with little indication from medical experts that campuses, communities or the nation could gain control of the spread of the COVID-19 virus prior to the start of competition.
"As our teams were ramping up for more intense practices, many of our medical staffs did not think the interventions we had planned would be adequate to decrease the potential spread even with very regular testing," Warren said. "As the general student body comes back to campus, spread to student-athletes could reintroduce infection into our athletics community."
• The uncertainty about the virus, recovery from infection, and longer-term effects.
"While the data on cardiomyopathy is preliminary and incomplete, the uncertain risk was unacceptable at this time," Warren wrote.
• Concerns surrounding contact tracing that still exist, including the inability to social distance in contact sports according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
Warren said that "financial considerations" did not influence the decision.
"We understand the passion of the many student-athletes and their families who were disappointed by the decision, but also know there are many who have a great deal of concern and anxiety regarding the pandemic," Warren said.
Warren said a Return To Competition Task Force has been formed, consisting of members from the Council of Presidents and Chancellors, sports medicine and university medical personnel, athletic directors, head coaches, faculty athletic representatives and Senior Women Administrators.
"In evaluating winter/spring models, we will explore many factors including the number of football games that can reasonably be played from a health perspective in a full calendar year while maintaining a premier competitive experience for our student-athletes culminating in a Big Ten Championship," Warren wrote.
