From Press Release
If the Big Ten has sports this fall, they will limit them to a Conference only schedule. This will affect men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. They will be releasing details for these sports at a later date. Decisions on sports not listed will continue to be evaluated.
In limiting the sports to only Big Ten institutions the Conference feels they will have the greatest flexibility to make adjustments throughout the season, based on medical advice and the status of the pandemic.
They reached this decision following conversations between the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, Directors of Athletics, Conference Office staff, and medical experts including the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.
The conference also announced that all summer athletic activities will continue to be voluntary. Student-athletes who choose not to participate in intercollegiate athletics at any time during the summer and/or the 2020-21 academic year due to concerns about COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarship honored by their institution and will remain in good standing with their team.
Big Ten member institutions continue to rely on the most up-to-date medical information to establish the best protocols for voluntary workouts on their campuses, in compliance with local and state regulations, the Conference is working with the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee to finalize Conference-wide protocols.
The Conference says “As we continue to focus on how to play this season in a safe and responsible way, based on the best advice of medical experts, we are also prepared not to play in order to ensure the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes should the circumstances so dictate.”
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