The Big Ten has already canceled the men’s basketball tournament, and now it has made the tough decision to cancel all athletic events through the entire current academic year.
This goes a step further than what other schools have done on their own. Some have gone through the end of March as a starting point, but the end of the academic year would stretch far into May for all schools in the conference. By all athletic events, that means everything. It even involves championships and postseason events that could stretch beyond the academic year like softball and baseball.
There will also be significant limits put on recruiting events and gatherings until further notice as well.
Here is the complete release from the Big Ten that was released on Thursday.
The Big Ten Conference announced today that in addition to the Men’s Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions. In addition, the Conference has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.
The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.
Big Ten cancels all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year and announces a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future. https://t.co/bBVXWLqzvg
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 12, 2020
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