The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1279712
SEPTEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 17 shaping the future of the talented young women and men who com- pete in the Big Ten Conference. Al- though that knowledge made this a painstaking decision, it did not make it difficult. While I know our decision today will be disappoint- ing in many ways for our thousands of student-athletes and their fami- lies, I am heartened and inspired by their resilience, their insightful and discerning thoughts, and their par- ticipation through our conversations to this point. Everyone associated with the Big Ten Conference and its member institutions is committed to getting everyone back to competition as soon as it is safe to do so." Michigan personnel, including President Mark Schlissel and director of athletics Warde Manuel, backed the move. Schlissel tweeted out the follow- ing message in the hours following the Big Ten's announcement: "I fully support the difficult Big Ten decision to postpone fall athletics competi- tion. There are currently too many challenges to preventing spread of the infection among our student-ath- letes and coaches during practice and competition, and the impact of ex- treme physical exertion on the health risks of COVID-19 are not yet well understood. "I join athletic director Warde Manuel and everyone at Michigan athletics in expressing my empathy to all who were looking forward to competing, coaching, supporting and cheering us on as members of the Wolverine family. I particularly feel badly for our student-athletes, who gain so much from their participation in their sports and are such outstand- ing representatives of our university. We will work hard to return them safely to competition. "I also share my gratitude with the many individuals who have been working tirelessly to prepare for competition, including our stu- dent-athletes who have risen to the challenges of this pandemic and the many coaches, trainers and medi- cal staff who have always made the health and safety of our student-ath- letes and staff their highest priority. "To our millions of fans world- wide, I thank you for your under- standing and your patience. This de- cision is the right thing to do at this point in the pandemic. Your support of our teams and our student-ath- letes is inspiring, and Michigan will be back and ready to welcome you when it is safe to do so." Manuel followed with his own statement. "For the second time in five months, the Big Ten Conference made the un- fortunate but necessary decision to THE SEASON THE SEASON When the Big Ten made its announcement Aug. 11, it said the league would postpone all fall athletics and try to have seasons for the affected sports in the spring, but many are skeptical that will happen for myriad reasons. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY