According to a report from Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, only three schools voted against postponing the fall football season in the Big Ten. Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren said all along that the vote was overwhelming in favor of shelving the season, and that appears to be the case based on sources that spoke to Rittenberg. It all comes from a brief filed in court in response to the Nebraska players’ lawsuit against the league.
The only three schools that voted to move forward with the season were Ohio State, Nebraska, and Iowa reportedly. In case you were living under an epic-sized boulder, that should come as no surprise to anyone that has followed the drama and intrigue closely.
Rittenberg goes on to assert that the brief filed “targets ‘three incorrect and unsupportable assertions’ in the players’ lawsuit, mostly around the vote (it happened) and threshold for approval (60% according to bylaws, league got 78.6%). Also pushes back on claim that one study fueled postponement.”
Of course, the Big Ten will have to produce proof that all of this occurred if the case goes forward.
League sources tell ESPN that #Nebraska, #OhioState and #Iowa are the three schools that voted against postponing the fall season. This will surprise absolutely no one who has followed the story.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) August 31, 2020
While this is all fine and good if it’s true, many will still ask why some of this information was not shared at the onset of the decision. If so much went into such an impactful and ground-shaking decision, why the lack of transparency?
Despite better communication and a solid, transparent process, there still would have been many calling for Big Ten football this fall. However, some of the criticism over how a decision was arrived at, and the perceived lack of leadership surrounding the communication could have been somewhat avoided.
Now I guess we’ll wait to see what happens next. We’ll have updates as more information becomes available, but as you know, court cases can bog down to almost a standstill. In other words, it could be a lot like watching a Michigan safety try to track down an Ohio State ball-carrier.