On Wednesday, the University of Connecticut announced it is canceling its football program for the upcoming school year due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
“After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we’ve decided that we will not compete on the gridiron this season,” said UConn athletic director David Benedict. ”The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
With the announcement, UConn became the first NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program to cancel its 2020 season, and more schools may soon follow.
The school had previously left the American Athletic Conference and was preparing to play its first season as an independent. Members of the team returned to campus in early July and no one has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to school officials.
“We engaged and listened to the concerns of our football student-athletes and feel this is the best decision for their health, safety, and well-being,” said head coach Randy Edsall. “Our team is united in this approach and we will use this time to further player development within the program and gear ourselves to the 2021 season.”
Despite the canceled season, members of the team will remain enrolled in classes either in-person or virtually and will still have access to on-campus athletic facilities and support services.
No other announcements have been issued by other schools yet, but UConn could be just the first domino to fall among other major programs.
"What UConn is going to do, it's going to tell other programs, 'It's okay to fold the tent.'"@finebaum on the ramifications of UConn cancelling their 2020 football season. pic.twitter.com/62Q4htefda
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 5, 2020
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