Big Ten Officially Postpones Fall Sports: No Gopher Football

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — It's finally official. The Big Ten Conference has postponed the 2020-2021 fall sports season, meaning there will be no Gopher football this year.

"Our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff," said Morton Schapiro, chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President.

Conference officials said they weighed the risks of COVID-19 while debating moving forward with fall sports. Ultimately, the dangers posed to athletes, coaches, staff and fans were too much to move forward with the season.

Besides football, these fall sports will also be postponed: men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball. Conference officials will continue to evaluate possibly competing in the spring. Winter and spring sports are also being evaluated.

"The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward," said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren.

Warren was an executive with the Minnesota Vikings until last year, when he was hired by the Big Ten.

"As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.

Conference officials said they would continue to monitor COVID-19 developments nationally and in Big Ten states.