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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says to ‘expect disruptions’ if college football season is played
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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby isn’t sugar-coating anything in terms of potential challenges college football teams could face if the season is played this fall.
On Monday, reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN said that more than a dozen players for the MLB’s Miami Marlins tested positive for COVID-19. It was labeled as an “outbreak” among the team and has already resulted in two games being canceled on Monday.
Eight more players and two coaches with the Miami Marlins have tested positive for COVID-19, as an outbreak has spread throughout their clubhouse and brought the total of cases in recent days to at least 14, sources familiar with the situation tell me and @JesseRogersESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2020
With that outbreak, immediately there were questions on how it would impact the college football season. When asked about it, Bowlsby said that similar disruptions should be expected if the sport is given the green light to move forward.
“If we are advised that it is OK to play the season, we should all expect that there will be such disruptions,” Bowlsby told Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
Positive test cases in sports were expected to be seen as leagues such as the MLB, NBA, NASCAR, PGA Tour and others kickstarted. However, the surprise was that so many players on one team tested positive.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, contacted by @DMRegister after Marlins canceled Monday night's game: “If we are advised that it is OK to play the (football) season, we should all expect that there will be such disruptions."
— Randy Peterson (@RandyPete) July 27, 2020
It creates a problem for football — both the NFL and college — because of similar travel plans, a no-bubble structure and even larger rosters than you see in baseball. Seeing how the Marlins recover from this situation will be key in moving forward with a season.
But, even if there is a college football season, it doesn’t mean there are no risks of outbreak. And it sound like Bowlsby is already anticipating that possibility.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB