Big 12 Commissioner: Athletes are Safer Under Program Supervision Than in the 'General Population'
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby spoke to the media about the conference's decision to move forward with college football on Wednesday.
The head of the league said he and other conference representitives have been meeting regularly with both doctors and lead researchers on the coronavirus and believe fall sports can not only co-exist with the current pandemic, but players are actually safer with the current testing and sanitation protocols than they would be were they to return home for the fall.
"I think I think everyone in our society is concerned at one level or another about getting exposure to the virus." Bowlsby said. "It's the belief of our doctors that we can put our student athletes in a situation where they are less likely to be affected under supervision and surveillance and testing than they would if they were in the general population."
In addition to medical professionals, the league office also listened to the players themselves. Bowlsby says he's spoken with athlete representitives from all ten Big 12 teams.
"I think what we've heard from our student athletes is they'd like to play, but they want to make sure it's safe," he said. "They want to know about the eligibility implications are and they want to know that their financial aid is secure. And we have made every attempt to answer those. Some are still in progress as a result of NCAA council considerations. But generally speaking, I think we've been able to make progress and provide information and I feel very good about where we are at the present time."
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