Report: Rutgers president not budging on stance to postpone B1G football
If the B1G Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) does decide to re-vote on playing football sometime this fall, don’t expect Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway to have a change of heart.
Steve Politi of NJ.com spoke with Holloway about the matter — which hasn’t been discussed much among B1G presidents. The conference decided to postpone the college football and fall sports season in 2020 by a vote of 11-3. Rutgers was one of the schools in favor of postponing.
“I know other universities are facing unique pressures in the other direction. I get that. That’s just where I am right now,” Holloway said. “We’ll hope for the best, frankly. No president, whether they’re pushing to start tomorrow or in January, none of us wants to risk our students. There are different levels of comfort and confidence about how we can move forward.”
Holloway was a former football player at Stanford, providing him with a unique perspective on the matter. Even though he understands the desire to play from the student-athlete, parent and coach perspective, he wants to be cautious with his decision-making.
“If I’m wrong because I was erring on the side of safety, I don’t have a problem with that,” Holloway said. “I don’t think I’m wrong, though. I just don’t think it. And if I had to put money down, we’re going to see some radical changes within a month — no later than October. I’m really worried about what we’re heading toward, on just college campuses in general, not just sports. It’s deeply concerning.”
Recently, it’s been reported that the B1G plans to vote on a return-to-play plan on Sunday or Monday “at the earliest,” per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune. What dates are being considered at this time are still unknown.