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Big Ten football teams and fans wait with bated breath to see if the conference reversed course on a 2020 fall season. Might they have to wait a little longer?
Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel indicates that might be the case.
On the heels of a hot mic moment on Tuesday morning by Nebraska president Ted Carter indicating an evening announcement—confirmed by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Jeff Potrykus—the longer there’s a wait, the more anxiety there is among those who await word of a season.
According to Thamel, teams are preparing for Oct. 17 as the start of the season now, but there’s, as of yet, no indication as to when an announcement will be made.
No official word about a Big Ten restart has trickled down to Big Ten coaches. Many programs have been proceeding/planning the past few days for an Oct. 17 start, pending the upcoming vote/decision. There remains a lot of hope and optimism. But no official green light, yet.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 15, 2020
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This also comes after some pessimism was thrown on the barrel of optimism that’s recently become an inferno.
Associated Press college football writer Ralph D. Russo indicated on Tuesday afternoon that a decision might not be as close as it appears, according to comments made by Wisconsin chancellor Rebecca Blank to a congressional committee.
The University of Wisconsin chancellor said Tuesday that Big Ten football will remain on hold until there are answers to questions about COVID-19 testing and tracing, along with possible long-term heart issues related to the coronavirus.
A month after postponing games, conference leaders are considering playing a fall season after all. There were weekend meetings on a plan to begin play as soon as mid-October.
Blank, appearing at a congressional hearing on compensation for college athletes, was asked by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) about the Big Ten’s decision last month and whether the conference might reverse course.
“There were several main reasons for that,” Blank said. “One was that we were uncertain we could do the level of testing and contact tracing that we needed to keep athletes safe. Secondly, there was this growing evidence about heart-related myocarditis and that evidence was uncertain and it wasn’t clear what it means and we wanted to know more. There were a few other minor reasons.”
As always, stay tuned.
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