NCAA'S TOP DOC GIVES GREEN LIGHT. The Big Ten won't be playing football for medical reasons this fall, so I'm sure you all will be delighted to hear that the NCAA's Chief Medical Advisor is "highly confident" in the SEC, Big 12 and ACC's decisions to play.
Perhaps if he would have taken this stance and shown some leadership months ago as the top doctor over all collegiate sports, we wouldn't be where we are today.
Alas...
“TAKE A MIRACLE.” Big Ten football's been dead for almost a month at this point, and yet we're all still holding out hope for a Lazarus-like resurrection.
And according to Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, that's exactly what an October Big Ten season would take – a miracle.
“If a miracle was handed to us today and said, ‘If you take this vaccine, you won’t get COVID,’ yeah, I suppose you could come up with a scenario where you could play in October,” Barta told reporters. “I don’t know between that miracle and where we are right now, whether or not we could get that done. I’ll wait and see what the medical group comes back with and then it will ultimately be up to the college presidents to evaluate that.”
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“I feel better today than I did maybe a month ago, but I know we’re not there yet,” Barta said about a return to play in the Big Ten. “Until I hear something that I know is going to convince the ADs and the presidents that we can go forward, I won’t say too much until I see it."
So... You're telling me there's a chance?
DISCONNECT UP NORTH. Jim Harbaugh is Michigan's highest-paid employee by lightyears and is the school's most visible representative to the public, yet he feels like he has to march in a demonstration with players, parents and fans to get the attention of the University President Mark Schlissel.
It's been months, and Schlissel hasn't even answered a damn text message.
“I have had none. I’ve texted and Warde Manuel has done all the conversations with President Schlissel,” Harbaugh said. “You think I maybe got some inside information or something but I don’t. I can tell you how practice was, how the workouts have been. I could tell you we just had another 120 tests that were all negative. That’s close to a thousand tests in a row, completely negative. I could tell you how the guys’ grades are. Those are the things I’m focusing on — training and focusing our guys.”
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“I texted Mark, e-mailed, showed him all results,” Harbaugh said. “(Senior Associate AD and Chief Health & Welfare Officer) Darryl Conway has been down to our facility multiple times and he thinks what we’re doing is a real model for everybody. It’s a testament to the players and to the staff, everybody really following the protocols.
“So yeah — he’s aware. He’s aware. So is Warde Manuel.”
The players and coaches have busted their asses to follow guidelines, done everything asked of them, have yet to register a single positive test, and the guy that's supposed to be representing them in all of this decision making can't even have a brief conversation? That's straight-up bullschlissel.
By contrast, Ryan Day, Gene Smith and Kristina Johnson didn't just communicate, they were "fully aligned" and working together before she even officially took office.
I'm not saying they need to talk every day or even agree, but as a president, I don't think it's a great look when your institution's highest-paid employee is marching against your own decision-making and telling the public that you haven't even talked to him about it.
But hey, I'm just a blogger writing Internet words. You do you!
If federal help is offered as expected, conference vote planned for tomorrow.
Big Ten football's been dead for almost a month at this point, and yet we're all still holding out hope for a Lazarus-like resurrection. And according to Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, that's exactly what an October Big Ten season would take – a miracle.
So what does Yoder know that the Iowa AD doesn't know?
