UConn has become the first FBS-level program to cancel all football competition for the 2020-21 academic year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In an announcement Wednesday morning, the school confirmed that players will remain full-time students at the University of Connecticut and will still have full access to facilities. But moving forward, the team’s 2020 games have been canceled.
UConn was previously scheduled to open the season against UMass. The school’s games versus Illinois, Indiana, Maine and Mississippi have also been fully removed from schedules.
“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,” director of athletics David Benedict said. “The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
The coronavirus outbreak has had a major impact on sports league around the world. The NBA, NHL and NBA are among those who has their regular seasons suspended due to the pandemic. Now, eyes turn to major football leagues to see how they will deal with the spread of COVID-19. Currently, the NFL plans to continue with safety measures in place while major college football conferences have moved to limit their 2020 schedules to conference-only. UConn is the only FBS-level school to cancel their season so far.
In its announcement, the school announced that it has had success in keeping players safe during the outbreak, describing itself as “one of the only teams in the country to complete a full spring schedule.” Additionally, UConn players have been on campus since July, with zero testing positive for COVID-19.
In the statement, Benedict and head coach Randy Edsall spoke about the school’s efforts to communicate with players about how they felt about playing during the upcoming season. Ultimately, the school’s decision came down to a matter of safety as well as players preferring to retain their year of eligibility.
“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,” Edsall said. “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.”
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