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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Big Ten Conference, already in court and under pressure from players and parents over its decision to cancel fall football, is now hearing from President Donald Trump.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that he had spoken with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren about reinstating the fall season.
“Had a very productive conversation with Kevin Warren, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about immediately starting up Big Ten football,” the tweet said. “Would be good (great!) for everyone—Players, Fans, Country. On the one-yard line!”
The Big Ten, in a statement, said a White House representative reached out to Warren to set up a phone call with Trump. The statement said Warren and Trump had a “productive conversation.”
“The Big Ten Conference and its Return To Competition Task Force, on behalf of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), are exhausting every resource to help student-athletes get back to playing the sports they love, at the appropriate time, in the safest and healthiest way possible,” the statement said.
The conference is filled with teams from battleground states that will prove critical in the upcoming election between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
The Big Ten announced Aug. 11 it would move its football season to the spring semester because of health risks associated with the pandemic. The Pac-12 followed suit, joining the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West. Other leagues are playing shortened seasons.
Warren has been under pressure for three weeks as the outcry against the decision has grown louder. Last week, a group of Nebraska players filed a lawsuit seeking a reversal of the decision, and Gov. Pete Ricketts has been a vocal proponent of the Cornhuskers playing fall football.
“Before the Big Ten’s decision, we were already working with the university and public health officials on plans to play football this fall,” said Ricketts, a Republican. “We would love for the Big Ten to give schools the flexibility to make decisions that are right for them.”
The Associated Press and other outlets reported last week that Big Ten officials are working on multiple plans for staging a football season—including one that would have the league kicking off during the Thanksgiving weekend. Soon after, Trump brought up the state of college football.
“No, I want Big Ten, and all other football, back—NOW,” Trump tweeted then. “The Dems don’t want football back, for political reasons, but are trying to blame me and the Republicans. Another LIE, but this is what we are up against! “
Trump downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19 for college-aged football players.
“These are big, strong guys. They’ll be just fine,” Trump said Friday. “Big Ten. Get with it. Open up your season, Big Ten.”
Trump, before boarding Air Force One on Tuesday, again framed the debate over player and fan safety as a political one. He said “the biggest headwind we have is that you have Democrats who don’t want to see it happen.”
Trump said he spoke with Warren and “we had a very good conversation, very productive, and maybe we’ll be very nicely surprised.”
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OMG…. In the Trump world COVID19 does not exist, is not a threat, and doesn’t kill anyone. This virus is like a full 737 crashing into a mountain everyday for two years. Maybe the players will be OK, but how about the coaches, and who will they kill when they come for break?
Science and reason made the correct decision the first time. Politics should not undo it.
Relax new testing, 5 minute results, vaccines. Go throw your mask on.
Maybe if they players, coaches, all staff and fans in attendance would just have a big swig of bleach before each game, it would be perfect. Dr. Trump knows as much about public health as he knows about striking a peace deal with North Korea. How is that working out?
Gentlemen, I agree Trump is no doctor but come on! Jerry, how many people do you know that were perfectly healthy and now dead of COVID and COVID alone? Dan, did you know they just came out and said that only 6% of all COVID deaths are from COVID alone? That means these people had other problems that caused their death and COVID was only a part. I am not saying covid is not real or not serious, what I am saying is life must go on and will go on. If you want to hide in your house go ahead, there are plenty of dangers out there to hide from.
Did you consider that maybe playing could be better for these guys health? Let’s face it, they are kept on strict schedules, fed a great diet, have access to the best doctors and trainers and coaches are keeping an eye on them. If it were my son, I would be all for it!
Even though the Big Ten season is canceled, the players are still practicing/lifting together. The coaches are still coaching together. So, the only difference to start the season, would be teams traveling to games.
To mitigate risks, universities can very easily screen everyone before going to a game. Test negative? Go to game. Test positive? Quarantine.
Instead, the conference is planning to lose hundreds of millions dollars, furloughing employees, and negatively impacting careers for players/coaches.
There is a risk. But, let the players/coaches opt-in or opt-out. Players/coaches can get COVID. Of those who got it so far, how many were hospitalized? How many died?
61 days.