The Pac-12 has canceled the 2020 fall football season, according to Brett McMurphy of Stadium Network.
The decision comes shortly after the Big Ten came to the same resolution Tuesday afternoon. The Pac-12 had already created a revised schedule on July 31 that only included conference matchups, after the original schedule was released on January 16.
Despite the revised schedule, players were still vocal about their concerns over health protocols, threatening to boycott the season if protocols were not met, as well as pushing the league to fight racial injustice. The group, led by players from Oregon, UCLA, Cal and Stanford, was planning to release a statement of unity, though the Pac-12 said that they had not heard from the players.
The season was already going to be a difficult one to pull off, with college sports not having the luxury of a “bubble” such as the NBA does. Further complicating the matter was the fact that Cal, USC and UCLA are not fully reopening their campuses this fall. In the end, the Pac-12 just wasn’t able to make it happen.
The Pac-12 has also postponed all sports competitions through the end of the 2020 calendar year, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
It is not yet clear how or when the season will be made up, if at all.
The official announcement from the league came at a 1:30 p.m. press conference, where they announced that the Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously to postpone all sport competitions through the end of 2020.
The decision came after consulting with athletic directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, determining that continuing to go forward with contact practice wasn’t safe.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”
With the confirmation that no sports will be played this fall, the University of Oregon is now looking forward to the return of sports as soon as possible in 2021.
“All of the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors understand the importance of this decision, and the disappointment it will create for our student-athletes, the coaches, support staff and all of our fans,” said University of Oregon president Michael Schill. “Ultimately, our decision was guided by science and a deep commitment to the health and welfare of student-athletes. We certainly hope that the Pac-12 will be able to return to competition in the New Year.”
Scott also expressed his remorse for the expectedly disappointed student-athletes who have been working hard despite the uncertainty of the situation.
“We know that this is a difficult day for our student-athletes, and our hearts go out to them and their families,” he said. “We have made clear that all of their scholarships will be guaranteed, and that as a Conference we are strongly encouraging the NCAA to grant them an additional year of eligibility.”