Was there a vote to postpone fall sports in the Big Ten? University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green confirmed that a vote did take place in an
interview with KLIN on Wednesday.
Green’s comments came shortly after Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren
released an open letter. While Warren’s letter did not say much about the vote, he did say it took place among the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and that it “was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports and will not be revisited.” Green confirmed the vote.
“As that decision was made, it was the Council of Presidents and Chancellors that made that decision,” he said.
While the vote was not unanimous—and Green would not confirm who voted in what way—he did say “it was an overwhelming consensus.” Nebraska, however, did feel ready to play.
"We were very clear on that,” Green said.
Could the Big Ten change its mind in October if other conferences are able to move forward? Maybe, but there are currently no plans. In fact, when asked directly if Green thought whether or not Nebraska would play football this fall, he wasn’t confident in it happening.
"I think the odds of that are very low, but we're in uncharted territory,” Green said.
Green confirmed that Coach Scott Frost is on the Big Ten's Return to Competition Taskforce. Athletic Director Bill Moos is on a subcommittee that handles scheduling. The coaches and athletic directors have been working on scheduling options in the Big Ten for winter and spring since last week.
While he put to rest the rumor that a group of five or six Big Ten programs might put together a schedule for fall without the rest of the conference, he did appear optimistic about a January restart. Word
started circulating on Wednesday about the potential of an eight-week schedule in the Big Ten that would begin in January.
"The big question initially was how are we going to have players compete in two seasons in one year?” he said. “. . . There's a growing level of enthusiasm [a winter season] could work."
