ACC Continues To Proceed With Plans For Competition In Fall Sports

The ACC has doubled down on why it's going to play football and other fall sports this fall.

Earlier today, the Atlantic Coast Conference released a statement explaining exactly why they're going to move forward with football and other fall sports. Here is that release in its entirety. 

The ACC’s principal priority as we approach fall competition is the mental and physical wellbeing of our student-athletes. At each of our member institutions, our athletic directors and coaches have had conversations with student-athletes about returning to competition and attendant risks. After listening to our student-athletes, and considering the further advice of our Medical Advisory Group, the Atlantic Coast Conference continues to proceed with its plans for competition in fall sports. The majority of our student-athletes have indicated they wish to compete if public health permits, and that they have worked hard to enable themselves to compete safely. Any student-athlete must and will be able to choose not to compete at any time this season without losing scholarship support, and the decision to compete or not compete will not cost the student a season of eligibility.

The public health situation is dynamic and uneven in the United States and at our member institutions. The ACC will regularly monitor the changing situation and is prepared at any time to adjust schedules and games to reflect changes in that situation. The ACC will also respect the decisions of individual schools as they continually assess the public health situation affecting their students and communities. As it has done all year, the ACC will carefully reevaluate the public health needs as we go along, relying on public health expertise and putting the health and safety of our surrounding communities at the center of our decision-making.

Asking the athletes and the coaches what they think about playing this fall? What a concept!

As expressed by multiple players, parents and coaches, the fact that the people making the decision about playing without consulting them has been the most frustrating part of cancelling the Big Ten season. We just saw evidence of that as a large group of people marched through Ann Arbor chanting and singing in an effort to try and invoke chance. 

To me, this release almost feels like a shot at the Big Ten. This line, especially, seems to be directed at exactly what the Big Ten did wrong. 

"At each of our member institutions, our athletic directors and coaches have had conversations with student-athletes about returning to competition and attendant risks. After listening to our student-athletes..."

That line is exactly what Michigan players and other Big Ten athletes want. They want to be heard and informed. As of right now, they feel like they're being ignored. With the ACC, along with the Big 12, SEC and dozens of high schools around the country playing football, we're still all wondering why the hell the Big Ten isn't. Today's statement by the ACC should only add more to that curiosity.