Patriot League nixes fall sports

The college sports dominoes continue to fall.

After the Ivy League last week announced it was cancelling all fall sports due to COVID-19 and would not have any competition before Jan. 1, and the Big Ten and Pac-12 both went to conference-only football schedules, the Patriot League — which includes Fordham and is part of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in football — announced Monday morning it is canceling fall sports as well. This will be the first fall without varsity football at Fordham since 1969 and the first without any football since 1963. Fordham competed at the club level from 1964-1969.

The plan is to play football in the spring, a source told The Post. Unlike the Ivy League, the Patriot League will not be shutting down competition through Jan. 1 as of yet, announcing it will make a decision on winter and springs sports at a later date.

In the Ivy League’s announcement, there was nothing said about spring football, though sources said the league was hoping to try to play if it’s possible.

The Patriot League football conference is comprised of Fordham, Georgetown, Lafayette, Colgate, Lehigh, Holy Cross and Bucknell. Core members in other sports include Army, Navy, American, Boston University and Loyola (Md.).

A number of major Division I programs, such as Ohio State, Houston, Boise State, Arizona and North Carolina, have shut down voluntary college football workouts due to coronavirus outbreaks. But so far the powers that be have resisted a move for spring football, though it has been discussed more in recent weeks. A decision is expected to be made by the first week in August.