CNN – Game on.
The Big Ten Conference will play football this fall after all. On Wednesday, the conference reversed its postponement decision made last month, saying play would start the weekend of Oct. 23 and 24.
The Big Ten decision came after months of pressure from coaches, parents, players, politicians, and even the President of the United States, who called on the conference to reopen both on Twitter and at rallies.
The conference will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.
“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, head team physician at The Ohio State University, in the announcement.
The Big Ten had previously announced that it was postponing the 2020-21 fall sports season because of Covid-19 pandemic.
