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Mid-American Conference Cancels Fall Football Season; Big 10 And Pac 12 Expected To Follow

It’s reported that the Pac Twelve will also cancel their season while the ACC and Big Twelve continue to consider and weigh their options.

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The Mid-American Conference announced Saturday they voted to postpone all of their fall sports, including college football. Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher called it “a miserable decision.”

“They’re pulling the plug sooner rather than later,” a Power 5 athletic director told ESPN. “Just get it over with and let us figure out how to survive.”

“As much as the Big 12, SEC or anybody else wants to play and is making preparations to play, the presidents and chancellors aren’t going to want to be on an island by themselves,” the director added. “They will be the ones to shut it down, even if the league commissioners are determined to hold out. …Everybody’s going to be watching what the Pac-12 and Big Ten do over these next few days. That’s for sure.”

The Big Ten is expected to cancel their college football season after 12 of the 14 presidents voted not to move forward, reports “The Dan Patrick Show.” Nebraska and Iowa were the only two schools who showed interest in continuing to play.

According to the on-air announcement, the Pac Twelve will also cancel their season while the ACC and Big Twelve continue to consider and weigh their options.

Trevor Lawrence, star quarterback for Clemson University, came out against the cancellation of any college football seasons with a group of other players claiming that “there is a way forward.” Together, the Power 5 conference players started the hashtag #WeWantToPlay which helped them to express “their desire to play the 2020 season and shared items they feel need to be addressed to ensure a safe and fair environment for student-athletes moving forward.”

“Let’s work together to create a situation where we can play the game that all of us love. Not divide and argue. There is a way forward,” Lawrence tweeted on Sunday.

Many other players and coaches tweeted their support of the movement.

“There’s been too much work put in!! #WeWantToPlay,” wrote Justin Fields, quarterback for Ohio State and one of the pioneers of the movement.

“The way our student athletes have handled these uncertain times is incredible and our staff is so proud of them,” tweeted Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.

Lawrence claimed many players will actually be safer under the health and safety precautions of their universities.

“People are at just as much, if not more risk, if we don’t play. Players will all be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they were to contract covid19,” he tweeted.

https://twitter.com/Trevorlawrencee/status/1292599402784325632?s=20

“Not to mention the players coming from situations that are not good for them/ their future and having to go back to that. Football is a safe haven for so many people. We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football. Having a season also incentivizes,” he added.

“Players being safe and taking all of the right precautions to try to avoid contracting covid because the season/ teammates safety is on the line. Without the season, as we’ve seen already, people will not social distance or wear masks and take the proper precautions,” Lawrence concluded.

Many people, including President Trump, joined in Lawrence’s calls to keep college football alive this fall.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1292873531382992901?s=20

President Trump also told Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany that “he very much would like to see college football safely resume their sport … he’d like to see [these athletes] live out their dreams.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in on the issue with Clay Travis of “Outkick” on Fox Sports Radio, saying that conferences that are still opting to play should consider offering players in the Big Ten spots on their teams.

“Not only should they make the best decision for themselves and not let the Big Ten lead them into canceling sports, what they should do is they should reach out to all the Big Ten athletes and say, ‘Hey, we’re playing.’ I mean, look, I don’t want Justin Fields playing against Florida teams, but I mean, at the end of the day, I think you’re going to see if there’s parts of the country that won’t allow the opportunity in other parts. You’re already seeing you have some high school athletes that are moving from California to Georgia and stuff. I think you’ll see that happen,” he said.

DeSantis, however, did say that he doesn’t think players who choose not to play should be punished.

“My view would be that if you if you feel that somehow that this is too risky for you, you get to keep your eligibility, keep your scholarship, and come back if that’s what you choose,” he said. “So, I don’t think anyone should be forced to do it, but my sense would be the vast, vast majority of players would want to get out there and be able be able to play.”

He also commented on Trevor Lawrence’s appeal to play by saying that “the logic is compelling.”

“What Trevor Lawrence is doing, I mean he’s putting things out that are incredibly well put from experience. The logic is compelling, and that matters. I mean, you know, to have someone of his caliber out there doing that, people are going to follow that type of leadership.”