Big Ten to start its college football season next month
In a dramatic reversal, the Big Ten conference on Wednesday announced it would launch its college football season at the end of October with “significant medical protocols.”
This decision comes just over a month after the conference first decided to delay all sports until 2021.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement Wednesday (quote):
"Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes,"
Adding (quote):"Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love.”
After repeatedly pressuring the conference to play this fall, President Trump praised the decision on Twitter, saying:
Great News: BIG TEN FOOTBALL IS BACK. All teams to participate. Thank you to the players, coaches, parents, and all school representatives. Have a FANTASTIC SEASON! It is my great honor to have helped!!!
Daily testing will begin by Sept. 30. The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a positive test.
The Big Ten – which includes football powerhouses such as Ohio State and the University of Michigan - said decisions on other sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, ice hockey, swimming and diving and wrestling, will be announced soon.
