President Trump Says Michigan, Illinois, Maryland Governors Holding Up Big Ten Football

President Donald Trump believes the Big Ten could return to playing football this fall, as most fans and teams would prefer. But he tweeted Sunday morning that three people in particular are standing in the way of that reality.

Big Ten Football is looking really good, but may lose Michigan, Illinois, and Maryland because of those Governors’ ridiculous lack of interest or political support. They will play without them?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2020

"Big Ten Football is looking really good, but may lose Michigan, Illinois, and Maryland because of those Governors’ ridiculous lack of interest or political support," the president tweeted. "They will play without them?"

This is the second time this week that the President tweeted about Big Ten football.

Even if it may be true that the governors of those three states would prefer Big Ten institutions not to return to football yet, the decision to reinstate the season lies with university presidents and chancellors and not the state government.

Earlier this week, Trump called Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to inquire what kind of help the federal government could provide for the league to reinstate the season. Multiple national reports indicated that the government offered to give a portion of the 150 million new, rapid-results antigen tests to Big Ten schools.

Recently, the FDA approved a new rapid antigen test that could be the key to college athletics resuming. The White House appears to be willing to help in that effort. The White House purchased 150 million rapid tests last week from Abbot Laboratories. The new test is approximately the size of a credit card and is linked to an app on smartphones. The test is said to be reliable, can be produced by Abbot Laboratories for $5 per test, the results don't need to be sent to a lab and they are available within 15 minutes. It's a nasal swab test, but it's a much shorter swab than the uncomfortable ones that most tests have used to this point.

It's unclear how many tests the Big Ten would need to reinstate fall sports or how that distribution would work, but President Trump discussed some of those logistics with Warren after he previously said on Twitter that he wants to see the Big Ten back on the gridiron.

Meanwhile, Big Ten fans were anxiously waiting for a re-vote Friday or Saturday, as was widely reported this past week - but a second vote among the 14 universities never occurred. After several weeks of silence, the league acknowledged a 11-3 decision in favor of postponing the fall sports season.

On Friday, Wolverine Digest reported that Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel is so set on not playing this year, he's willing to hold the Ohio State-Michigan game hostage.

A Little Birdie tells me University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel is one of the biggest remaining obstacles to the return of Big Ten football this fall. To the point he’s threatening to have Michigan sit out even if the Big Ten votes to go in October, denying the Big Ten its signature game.

That’s right, from what I’m told Schlissel is willing to weaponize the Michigan-Ohio State game as a threat to keep the Big Ten home this October, believing the league wouldn’t dare move forward without The Game. Thus losing hundreds of millions of dollars for member institutions while watching 76 other FBS teams play college football.

Big Ten football teams continue to practice, but nobody definitively knows when the season will begin.

Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage!