UF-FSU off; SEC to play in conference only
The Southeastern Conference on Thursday adopted a 10-game, conferenceonly football schedule for this fall, with opening games now set for Sept. 26.
Consequently, one of the biggest and best rivalries in college football has become a casualty of the coronavirus. At least for this season.
For the first time since 1957, the 2020 college football season will not include the usually intense matchup between Florida and Florida State. The game was scheduled for Nov. 28 in Tallahassee. The cancelation will end a 62year run for the rivalry between the Gators and Seminoles.
The individual SEC football teams’ fall 2020 schedules were not announced Thursday. That will come later once they are approved by the conferences’ athletic directors.
UF athletic director Scott Strickin said earlier this month, if the football season is played this fall, he’d like for the UF-FSU rivalry to be played. Thursday’s decision by the conference rule that out.
The start of the season has been pushed back to Sept. 26. That’s the date that UF was scheduled to play Tennessee in Knoxville.
The change was made because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conference said it wants to allow member universities to “focus on the healthy return of their campus communities and the gradual re-introduction of athletics,” according to a news release.
Further adjustments to the fall schedule could still be forthcoming as conditions warrant.
“This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
All teams’ 2020 schedules will be announced following their approval by the SEC’s athletic directors.
PATCHES ALLOWED FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
The NCAA says college athletes in all sports can wear patches on their uniforms to support social justice issues
The NCAA announced Thursday college athletes in all sports will be permitted to wear patches on their uniforms to support social justice issues.
The NCAA’s playing rules oversight panel adjusted rules in some sports that do not allow patches to be worn. In some sports, patches on uniforms are not addressed in playing rules.
The NCAA says patches can be worn on either the front or back of the uniform to “express support and voice their opinions.”
The patch on the front must not exceed 21⁄4 square inches and must be placed on the front or sleeve of the uniform. Not all team members are required to wear a patch, but team members must wear identical patches.
The NCAA says players will also be permitted to replace the name plates on the backs of uniforms with “names/words intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes.”
IOWA BULLYING SCANDAL
The Iowa football program under Coach Kirk Ferentz has suffered from a culture that perpetuated racial bias against Black players and allowed some current and former staff members to demean and bully others, according to an investigation report released Thursday.
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld said the report by an outside law firm shows the “climate and culture must and will change within our football program.”
Ferentz, the longesttenured head coach in college football, apologized to Black players and promised changes to improve their experience.
“This review brings us face-to-face with allegations of uneven treatment, where our culture that mandated uniformity caused many Black players to feel they were unable to show up as their authentic selves,” Ferentz said in a statement.
“I want to apologize for the pain and frustration they felt at a time when I was trusted to help each of them become a better player, and a better person.”
ELSEWHERE
Michigan lawsuit:
Dozens of more victims who claim they were molested by a University of Michigan doctor filed a lawsuit against the school, including a former football player who said he told legendary coach Bo Schembechler about the abuse in the early 1980s. It’s the first time that a victim has publicly said Schembechler was aware of allegations against the late Dr. Robert Anderson, who worked at Michigan, especially with athletes, from the mid-1960s through 2003.
Schembechler was “visibly angry,” the man told reporters, adding that he went to athletic director
Don Canham, who “did nothing.”
Recruiting: Florida added to a strong Tampa Bay recruiting haul, earning an oral commitment from Armwood High defensive tackle Desmond Watson, a three-star prospect and the nation’s No. 21 player at his position, according to the 247Sports composite.