34 key events that led to the Big Ten reversal, from a dire prediction in March to postponement and outcry - Tribune

[Iceland12]

34 points starting in March to today from the Chicago Tribune

March 27
ABC/ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback and perhaps the sport’s most recognizable voice, says: “I’ll be shocked if we have NFL football this fall, if we have college football. I don’t know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up. … I just don’t know how you can do it with the optics of it.”
April 30
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says not all conferences have to agree to play: “There’s room to make different decisions.”

May 3
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren tells the Tribune the conference is taking a wait-and-see approach: “Some states are getting back to business, and we’ll see what impact that has. Will (COVID-19) cases spike, increase, stabilize? Are we getting closer to a vaccination?”

Warren also pledges to consult with student-athletes, saying, “Too often we as leaders make decisions without considering who they impact the most.”

The date he mentions as key for re-evaluation: June 1.

34 key events that led to the Big Ten reversing course and announcing a fall football season, from a dire prediction in March to postponement and outcry

Remember when the Big Ten postponed its fall football season? That slow, painful process in which the conference finally decided in August — after months of concern about COVID-19 — to …

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[Iceland12]

May 12
The California State University System announces that all fall classes will be held online. Two weeks later, Michigan President Mark Schlissel tells the Wall Street Journal: “If there is no on-campus instruction then there won’t be intercollegiate athletics, at least for Michigan.”
May 28
With new daily COVID-19 cases dropping from roughly 35,000 to 20,000 nationwide, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says the school is entertaining the possibility of a full Kinnick Stadium for games.
June 14
Upon their return to campus for voluntary workouts, Ohio State players are asked to sign a document the school calls “The Buckeye Pledge” but others term a coronavirus liability waiver. The Buckeyes are asked to “help stop the spread” of the virus and accept that they might be infected.
June 17
Despite recent waves of positive momentum, a high-ranking Big Ten source tells the Tribune it’s 50-50 — at best — that college football is played and that it will be a “herculean task” just to get healthy players on the field.
June 18
Dr. Anthony Fauci warns: “Football may not happen this year.” Sports played outside a bubble, he says, are in jeopardy. College football fans cover their ears and scream: “Can’t hear you!”
July 1
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour calls a spring college football season a “last resort” mainly because of the proximity to a fall 2021 season.
July 8
Citing positive COVID-19 test results, Ohio State pauses on-campus workouts for seven sports, including football. Maryland pauses football workouts three days later....

Article takes you to today.

 

[MplsGopher]

https://www.startribune.com/big-ten...ht-week-season-to-begin-next-month/572428002/

Northwestern President Morton Schapiro voted in August to cancel the season, saying the medical insight five weeks ago showed there was “virtually no chance” to safely play the season.

But that changed, along with Schapiro’s vote.

“For me, it wasn’t about political pressure. It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about lawsuits. It wasn’t about what everybody else is doing,” Schapiro said. “It was the unanimous opinion of our medical experts. … Even a week ago, I wasn’t convinced to be part of a unanimous decision to move forward. And for me, the turning point was a long conversation with our medical team.”

 

[MirandaB]

I'm going to credit Mrs. Hungan1 for taking care of business as soon as she got to Heaven. Coincidence? I think not.