Bobref

Absolutely not. On the other hand, they told him they could keep him safe, and he believed them. With whom do you think a jury’s sympathies might lie, the kid whose NFL career is over before it starts, or the University/conference who said they could protect him, even when other schools/conferences had folded?

Well, at least you can say the voters will face a very clear choice at the polls in November.

Fast forward to the year 2023. A guy who was once slated to be a Top 10 NFL pick at left tackle from Alabama is sitting in a courtroom, the plaintiff in a multi million dollar lawsuit against the University and the SEC. Although every other conference decided to sit it out until Spring, the SEC went ahead and had a Fall season. The kid contracted COVID-19 and, unfortunately, was one of the ones who experienced serious and permanent cardiac damage. His NFL career derailed, he’s now looking for a different kind of payday. He’s sitting there listening to the President of the University on the witness stand trying to convince a jury that he took the safety of the student athletes seriously, even though every other football conference canceled or postponed. How do you think he’ll do? These are the kinds of scenarios that cause University presidents to wake up in a cold sweat.

First the B1G, now the PAC 12. The dominoes are falling faster now. https://pac-12.com/article/2020/08/11/pac-12-conference-postpones-all-sport-competitions-through-end-calendar-year

“Listening to” and “agreeing with” are not the same thing. The university President and Board are charged with big picture responsibilities ... much greater than the department level view.

I couldn’t agree more. This decision pulls the teeth of a movement that the schools — to their credit — realized posed a legitimate threat to the established order. Today, Covid-19. Tomorrow, who knows what?

I take no pleasure in apparently having been proved right. If there’s no college football, how can playing high school football be justified in the minds of risk averse administrators? Justified or not, I fear the fall of the dominoes is picking up speed. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/power-five-ads-inevitable-2020-college-football-season-will-not-be-played-this-fall/ Power Five ADs: 'Inevitable' 2020 college football season will not be played this fall These prominent athletic directors spoke to CBS Sports after the MAC canceled its season Saturday A cancellation of the 2020 college football season this fall is unavoidable after the MAC canceled its season earlier in the day, two prominent Power Five athletic directors told CBS Sports on Saturday. Both reacted to the MAC becoming the first FBS conference to cancel its fall season while also referencing a lack of progress fighting the coronavirus, according to their medical professionals. "It's not fair what we're doing to our coaches and student-athletes," one long-time Power Five AD said. "The sooner we can come to a finality, the better." "I think it's inevitable [the season will not be played in the fall]," said another veteran Power Five AD. Neither AD wished to be identified due to the sensitivity of the situation. The MAC news early Saturday led to speculation that dominoes would begin to fall nationally among the nine other FBS conferences. The FBS is looking more and more like an outlier in forging to ahead to play. UConn, an independent, canceled its season on Wednesday. Several FCS conferences have done the same, to the point that its subdivision may no longer hold a national championship. More than 30 Power Five players, including multiple potential first-round draft picks, have opted out of playing in 2020 citing health concerns. "I'm of the opinion it's when, not if [the 2020 season is canceled]," the first AD said. "[The MAC announcement] adds more momentum to the finish line. I think everyone's medical group is now all telling them the same thing. We all keep having the same conversations." Rumors continued to swirl Saturday that the Pac-12 and Big Ten would indeed be the next FBS conferences to cancel their respective 2020 seasons. Big Ten presidents met on Saturday, though a league source told CBS Sports not to expect an immediate announcement to cancel its season -- the feeling being that the league wouldn't alter its practice schedule and announce a cancellation on the same day. The Big Ten on Saturday announced it was "indefinitely" delaying a move to Phase 3 of practice that would have allowed players to use pads. The Detroit Free Press reported that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is believed to prefer attempting to play a season in spring 2021. Pac-12 presidents will meet in a regularly scheduled call on Tuesday. A Power Five source told CBS Sports they believe the Pac-12 is "very close to voting." That timeline could change in "20 minutes" to organize a conference call if the situation continued to shift, according to one Pac-12 official. "The Pac-12 will be next and then the Big Ten," the second AD said. "The Big Ten just going to no contact, what's that going to do for you? With California being so prominent [with the coronavirus], I see the Pac-12 getting out there next." Four Pac-12 schools were encouraged by state health guidelinesthat suggested they could start fall practice on Aug. 17 as planned. "We've all done it. We've all said, 'Let's keep pushing, keep pushing [to play],'" the second AD said. "I thought that was the best strategy. It's certainly not playing out that way. Now, it's just water torture." West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons, who is also a member of the NCAA Division I Council and the chairman of the NCAA Oversight Committee, lent perspective to the season going forward this fall. "I don't want to be the guy who is pushing it just to push it, but we have to understand that -- if we say we're not playing because of a virus until there is a vaccine -- we might as well shut it down for the next two or three years," Lyons told CBS Sports. "Even though a vaccine might come out as early as next year, you don't know if it's going to work. How long is it going to take to get the population?" There is already the beginnings of a look ahead to spring football. The first AD stressed that eligibility for players participating in the spring would have to be front-burner item before the 2020 season is moved. The first AD said that issue could begin to be addressed as soon as Wednesday when the NCAA Division I Council next meets. Several schools and conferences have said they would honor the scholarships of any players who opted out of the 2020 season; however, the question has not been answered as to whether those players would get an extra year of eligibility. Athletic departments would conceivably be on the hook for paying for an extra year. It is speculated -- and should be expected -- that several top draft-eligible players will have already played their last college snap if football is moved to the spring. If the spring season isn't made attractive enough in terms of an extra year of eligibility, several more could decide to sit out. All sides have to weigh the viability of playing two seasons in one calendar year. "The eligibility piece is the most important thing to figure out first and foremost," the first AD said. "I don't know what meaningful season we could put together in the spring that would make people willingly burn a year of eligibility." Whether college football is played this fall is increasingly becoming a case of risk tolerance. We know where UConn set its level. We know where the MAC's risk tolerance stands. If only one remaining of the nine remaining conferences gets the proper health recommendations to proceed, would it play? "I think there will be people that will risk it," Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier, a proponent of the MAC's cancellation decision, told CBS Sports. "I can't say they are right or wrong. I'm hoping there is no loss of life or long-term effects." MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher would not speculate whether his conference's decision would cause domino effect with other leagues. "This decision isn't a financial decision," he said. "It's a health and well-being decision." The health and safety concerns are becoming more prominent. A group of players in at least four major conferences are questioning a safe return of football. Ohio State players on Friday issued a statement separating themselves from that Big Ten protest. "We have all chosen to be here," the statement said.

Or we could go back to the old days ... when the officials called penalties using a small horn worn on the wrist.

That is very difficult to say. But I would say that Valpo and Merrillville, on paper, are as good at the top of the pyramid as we’ve seen around here in a while.

That’s a cop out. The media respond to public sentiment: their customers. If people didn’t want it, it wouldn’t sell.

What is it that has turned the American public so cynical? Nothing is taken at face value anymore. There is no “benefit of the doubt.” Anything unpleasant becomes the product of an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. Any less than desirable outcome is evidence of a sinister conspiracy. It must be downright uncomfortable living in some of your heads.

Hard to say, but I know the Pirates are loaded, too. I’ve got Oct. 2 circled on my calendar.

I just left Valpo’s intrasquad scrimmage. Man, are they loaded!

I am certainly not an expert on NCAA eligibility. But I know of a number of instances where college students have become licensed IHSAA football officials. PM me and I’ll point you in the right direction.

That means, even if they resumed on Sept. 28, they wouldn’t be able to get in the 4 regular season games necessary to qualify for the tournament. So, unless the IHSAA waives that requirement under these specific circumstances, they might as well shut those programs down now.

Word is the School City of Hammond has canceled all contact sports for the remainder of the year. Hunting for confirmation.

If you are really interested in the current thinking on the science behind the virus, why comparisons to influenza are dumb, why masking is necessary, the difficulty in creating a vaccine, etc., this is the best article I’ve come across. It’s long, but very, very informative and understandable. https://www.ucsf.edu/magazine/covid-body

My point was simply that there is plenty of historical precedent. But I imagine the anti-Trumpers will probably try to lay this at his doorstep. As far as whether it’s “right,” it represents a judgment that the society at large will receive a great enough benefit from early snd widespread dissemination of a vaccine, that the hardship a relatively few will endure because of adverse reactions or side effects is justified. Sounds harsh, but in reality these types of judgments are made every day. Again, nothing new here.

This is the outcome when you try to rush the process of developing a safe and effective vaccine. People have short memories. They did the same thing when they rushed the development of a swine flu vaccine in 2009. Nothing new here. Just Muda stirring the pot. https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2009/07/legal_immunity_set_for_swine_f.html

Keep in mind that the NCAA is, like the IHSAA, a member organization. The NCAA, as an organization, doesn’t make any money. But it administers a gigantic cash cow for the member institutions. So, it’s not accurate to think of the NCAA as some sinister corporate entity. The member schools run the NCAA. So, it’s not that the NCAA doesn’t care. It’s the member schools.

Q. What do they call doctors who prescribe medication without any studies showing either it’s effectiveness or long term side effects? A. Defendants.

Please stop with the comparisons of influenza to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They are inapposite, misleading, and ultimately, dangerous.

The plan to return to play is all about giving kids opportunities. Who you crappin’?