“It’s done,” one high-ranking source in the Big Ten said Monday afternoon, according to the Detroit Free Press. The sources said the presidents of the schools were in agreement Sunday to end fall sports in the conference. Michigan and Michigan State — which both have physicians as presidents — were among the schools in favor of ending the fall seasons.
Although multiple sources said early Monday morning that the school presidents voted 12-2 to end the season Sunday night, on Monday afternoon, the Big Ten said no official vote had been taken. Dan Patrick, who first reported the 12-2 vote, said on his radio show that Iowa and Nebraska were the two schools in favor or playing.
DP was told an hour ago that the Big 10 and Pac 12 will cancel their football seasons tomorrow… The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence.. And the SEC is trying to get teams to join them for a season.
Watch live: pic.twitter.com/oSUNGMTEqw
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 10, 2020
However, not long ago, the editorial team at the Detroit Free Press learned the Big Ten Conference will announce on Tuesday that the college football season has been canceled for the fall.
The meeting on Sunday was actually the second meeting held by the schools as momentum to cancel college sports continues to build. The Mid-American Conference became the first FBS conference to postpone all fall sports, including football, on Saturday.
The Big Ten conference will not play college football this fall August 10, 2020
One big difference between professional football players and college-level players is that the NCAA does not consider student-athletes as employees. So while players in professional sports leagues could collectively bargain safety protocols as a union, major college football athletes have no such recourse.
It is not as if they haven’t tried, though. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, have spoken out on their desire to play, and are requesting several provisions given to professional players tomguarantee their safety.
Using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay on Twitter on Sunday night, Power Five conference players requested mandated health and safety protocols, among other demands, including the right to form a player’s association, according to Bleacher Rerport.
And in related news, the president is none too happy about the decision to cancel football, either.
The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay August 10, 2020
About an hour later, it must have been still on his mind because he tweeted another short, but sweet message:
Play College Football!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
According to CNBC News, TMZ.com reported Monday that another major conference, the Pac-12, is looking to postpone its season until next spring. The Pac-12 is composed of western U.S. schools including the University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, Stanford, Oregon and Colorado.