The Big Ten will vote this weekend “at the earliest” on football’s return to play, according to a report from Chicago Tribune reporter Teddy Greenstein. Sunday or Monday are the possible dates in question for the vote, although it’s been called into question just how early the vote will take place.
https://twitter.com/TeddyGreenstein/status/1303774798091366409
Greenstein’s report follows a statement made by University of Nebaska President Ted Carter during an appearance on KLIN. Carter said that the Big Ten’s Return to Competition Task Force is “putting together some plans that the presidents and chancellors will vote on very soon.”
“There is an awful lot of work still going on with the return to play committee for which Chancellor Ronnie Green, Athletic Director Bill Moos and Coach Scott Frost are on,” Carter said on KLIN. “They’re putting together some plans that the presidents and chancellors will vote on very soon. The fight is still on. We have been aligned here in this state from the get go . . . We feel it’s safe to play here. That’s our theme here and we’re still strong on that.”
UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green and Coach Scott Frost are both members of the task force, while Athletic Director Bill Moos serves on a subcomittee for the group that handles scheduling. Green told Hail Varsity in late August that the task force was still waiting to hear from the athletic directors on recomendations for football’s return.
“We’ve not formally met yet,” he said at the time. “We haven’t had that kickoff yet formally for that conversation, but I know the ADs across the conference have been working since August 11 when the decision was made to postpone to answer what we will look like in a January-going-forward timeframe. That includes soccer, cross country, volleyball, football that are so important to us.”
A number of dates have been reported for the return to competition over the past few weeks. Those potential dates include Oct. 10, Thanksgiving and January. It’s unclear at this time if any of those dates are what the presidents and chancellors will vote on. As the Associated Press’ Ralph D. Russo pointed out, the vote will not overturn the original decision made.
From what I have been hearing "soon" has not yet been defined.
Maybe next week?Also, note when the presidents vote _ whenever that is _ they won't be voting to overturn a decision. They'll be voting on new medical guidance and return to play plan.
Semantics? That's your call. https://t.co/rXMznjl25P— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) September 9, 2020
It was determined, in response to a lawsuit filed by eight Nebraska athletes, that the original vote to postpone the Big Ten’s fall sports schedules was 11-3. The three programs who voted to continue with the season were Nebraska, Ohio State and Iowa.
As Carter noted on KLIN, Nebraska has been firm in its desire to play football this fall. Later Wednesday, 28 of Nebraska’s 49 state senators signed a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren urging the conference to reconsider its decision to postpone fall sports.
