After eight University of Nebraska football players sued the Big Ten last week over their decision to postpone the fall football season the conference released a statement yesterday detailing their voting process and how they reached the decision.
Statement from the Big Ten: pic.twitter.com/12j953OTl1
— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) August 31, 2020
The lawsuit listed the three following counts:
- Wrongful interference with business expectations — that the season represents an opportunity for players to work towards a career in football and develop brands for name/image/likeness use later.
- Breach of contract by not holding an actual vote within its Council of Presidents and Chancellors.
- Declaratory judgment by either not actually voting on the decision or being unable to produce evidence of a vote.
Kevin Warren and the Big Ten, now, clearly cited that there was indeed a 11-3 vote in favor of postponement, a number “which far exceeds the 60% threshold required by the Big Ten By-Laws.”
This statement is one of the first from the conference since their decision that clearly cites how and why it was reached.
Many have criticized the conference for their lack of transparency this past month and even though it took a lawsuit to get this information out, at least fans, players and parents now know what went on during the conference’s meetings in early August.
Maybe knowing the “how” isn’t enough for those who still want to understand the “why,” but according to the statement the conference will “continue to be transparent as it actively considers options to get back to competition when it is safe to play.”
I’d agree that they haven’t been the least bit transparent leading up to yesterday, so maybe the word choice of “continue to be transparent” isn’t fitting. But at least the information is coming out and giving clarity to the current situation.