Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren appeared on Big Ten Network this afternoon to explain the league's decision to postpone all 2020 fall sports and attempt to play them in the spring.
Network host Dave Revsine hosted the Q&A with Warren, with the highlights of their discussion below:
What Changed Within the Conference Over the Last six Days?
Warren: “One of the things we promised ourselves was that this was going to be a fluid situation and a day-to-day situation. We knew we’d be on a perpetual state of observing and gathering information, and doing everything we could to have fall sports.
"With that being said, our overarching reason and issues we always had to keep at the top of our minds was the health, safety and wellness and both physical and mental states of our student-athletes.
"That was always at the top of my list. We saw the number of cases and deaths spiking in our country and worldwide, and I promised that all the decisions we make during my tenure at the Big Ten will put the health and safety of our student-athletes at the center.
"We believed collectively there’s too much uncertainty in this point in time in our country to encourage our student-athletes to participate in fall sports. I’ll continually do everything in my power to put our student-athletes in a position to be empowered and elevated, but it’s people first — they’re not professionals, they’re amateur athletes and deserve to be able to participate in a healthy and safe manner.”
The new Football Schedules Were Released Last Week, and now Everything has Been Canceled ... What Happened During That Span?
Warren: “We always have to plan. We wanted to plan for a possible season and made it clear it may not come to fruition. We thought it was important to plan and organize a schedule, and that we would have a schedule in place if we were fortunate enough to play in the fall.
"We have a sports medicine task force comprised of doctors and trainers that I have the utmost respect for. I’m not a physician, but it was important on a day-to-day basis that we listen, follow, understand, appreciate and embrace the advice from our medical experts.
"That’s what we’re doing here — this is a holistic decision. There is too much uncertainty for us to go forward and have fall sports for the Big Ten. We have to do the right thing from a medical standpoint for our student-athletes to make sure they remain healthy and safe.
"We’ll continue to gather information and look forward to the future, but there’s just so much uncertainty. The questions we asked two weeks ago were answered, but then new questions arise.
"It’s not only in the Big Ten, but across the country and the world — there is so much uncertainty about this virus, and it’s spreading at alarming rates. We were able to start practice last week, and I’d like to commend our 14 Big Ten institutions.
"They’ve done a wonderful job and our coaches have worked hard to prepare, along with our ADs, chancellors and presidents. People have come together to do everything they could do to have a fall season.
"We were getting closer to the next phase of practice and eventual competition, but there were too many uncertainties from a medical standpoint to feel comfortable.”
What all Went Into Making This Decision?
Warren: “The formal process was collectively. We meet with the chancellors and presidents and many of our coaches and athletic directors. For the last couple months, this has been an around-the-clock endeavor and we’ve spent a lot of time and energy on.
"It’s not over either. We’ll continually meet and remain positive, because this is a very trying time. This is one of those days you hope you never have to deal with, but that’s not the case in life.
"We strive to learn and read more about the virus every day, but these are uncertain times in our country and in our 11 states where our 14 schools are located. It’s also an uncertain time in our world, so we’re gathering the best advice to make the best decisions based on where we are.”
Was the Vote to Cancel Unanimous Among the 14 Schools?
Warren: “From a vote standpoint, I’ll say one thing about it: we don’t always agree, but I think people understand we’ll be together in the Big Ten. It’s important to make that very clear and I would rather not have a detailed discussion about whether or not the vote was unanimous.
"This was a decision that was made on a collective basis, and I want to express to you we’ll continually do everything we can on every level in the Big Ten to make sure our student-athletes are respected and encouraged.
"Some may not agree with this decision we made and I understand that, but we have a responsibility as a conference to keep our student-athletes safe while competing in a healthy environment.”
Could a Big Ten School Potentially Play Games in Another Conference This Fall?
Warren: “I’ll just say this: these last couple of days have been very emotional. We have some of the best coaches in all of college football and they’re passionate. The reason they’re great coaches is because they work hard and they’re intelligent.
"Statements were made yesterday and interviews were done and I’m sure more will be made today and in the future, but those statements are a point of passion and supporting their schools and their athletes.
"I understand it. We have 14 institutions in the Big Ten and we’ve been together, and I expect us to remain together and to work together collectively to make sure our conference stays strong athletically and academically.
"I understand the passion and the many things that have been said. I’m proud to be in the Big Ten, though it’s been a challenging year so far on many levels. We’re doing what we believe in this point in time to be in the best interest of student-athletes’ mental, physical and emotional well-being.”
Again, Would a School be Allowed to Play Elsewhere in the Fall?
Warren: “I know what was said, and I’m sure other issues will arise and we’ll address at the appropriate time. Now is not the time. There are no games today. I’d just like to focus on this announcement and the things we should be doing, and not some other issues.
"There are so many issues we’re dealing with on so many levels. We’ll keep working with our medical people and the world isn’t ending today. We’ll gather information, prepare, plan and have an environment our student-athletes can participate in when there’s less uncertainty.”
Is Medical Info Shared Among the 14 Schools?
Warren: “A lot of studies are going on locally and internationally, and this is a worldwide thing. There has been sharing of information and great articles that have been written in medical magazines and studies.
"Any way we can help in the Big Ten to address this issue and create an environment where people can learn and understand and inform individuals is something we’ll be involved in.
"Anything we can do with our 14 schools and hospitals, we’re going to do it.”
What Needs to Happen for you to Feel Comfortable to let Teams Play Football Games in the Spring?
Warren: “This is when the work continues. We’ll continually work and gather information and rely on our medical experts internally and in the Big Ten. We’ll talk with our coaches, ADs, presidents and chancellors in our Big Ten family, and seek to hopefully address the opportunities of having fall sports in the spring, including football.
"We’ve been talking about various scenarios over these last few months, and see what we can do from a spring standpoint. We’re postponing this season and are looking toward the future.
"We’ll continue these discussions and allow the medical information we have to guide our decisions.”
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