INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- A season ago, the Big Ten and its member institutions and commissioner Kevin Warren found itself in an unfamiliar situation when it came with how to deal with a global pandemic and safely play games.
After several starts and stops, as well as postponements during last football season, the Big Ten was able to get a season in that ended with Ohio State claiming the Big Ten championship and advancing to the national championship game.
As he took the podium Thursday at the first day of Big Ten Media Days, Warren reflected back on the lessons he learned during an athletic year riddled by Covid.
"We faced COVID 19, which had never happened ever in the history of our world. To operate a conference in a global pandemic, to try to plan sporting events, we had to keep in mind that our most important item that we needed to focus on was the health and safety of our student-athletes. This was a very complicated and complex time in our nation, in our world, in college athletics. It was complicated for all of us. Many of us loss loved ones to COVID 19. This was not a perfect time for us in the conference, but it was productive. We learned -- I know I personally learned many important lessons and I feel that we grew stronger together as a conference," Warren said.
Despite the pandemic, Warren said the Big Ten was able to complete 1,843 out of 2,000 games and competitions that were scheduled.
"That constitutes 92 percent success rate that our student-athletes were able to participate in. And that only comes from just tremendous dedication and teamwork," Warren said.
The commissioner told the media that during the conference's semi-annual meeting with chancellors and presidents, the conference voted in favor to create a decentralized process and procedure this year of handling Covid-19.
"So we have allowed our institutions to handle those issues. One of the things that we're working on right now is the fact that our schools are finalizing their proposed policies and procedures for the fall. We'll get that information in early August. We'll combine it, and then we'll get together with our chancellors and presidents and other key constituents to make the determination as far as how we handle the fall. I mean, one of the things I did learn last year is to make sure that we are methodical and thoughtful, that we bring people together. And so we're right where we wanted to be, is that it will be a decentralized decision-making process. As soon as we gather all the information from our schools in early August, we'll finalize our policies to make sure that we pressure test it as much as we possibly can and then we'll make sure that we release it to everyone in the media and in the public. But we will have that done prior to our first game 37 days away from today," Warren noted.
While he was outspoken about not playing games last year due to Covid-19, Nebraska head coach Scott Frost deferred any comment about whether or not teams should forfeit games this year if impacted by Covid-19.
"I don't have an opinion on that and I won't. We fought hard for football last year because we thought it was the right thing. I'm really grateful to the people that helped make it happen so that we could get a chance to play last year. Where we landed last year was a good place. I thought the season came off well with the Big Ten and was managed well. We're going to trust them to make those types of decisions," Frost said.
Penn State coach James Franklin told the media that he believes the conference handled last season as well as anybody.
"And I'm very proud of how we handled it at Penn State. The one thing that I would put out there is the one thing I haven't figured out yet and I don't mean to make light of the subject, but the reality is I haven't figured out how to wear a mask and glasses, because the entire game I was fogged up and that was challenging. But I say that because I took great pride in as the head coach setting the tone and setting the example of wearing that mask, which was mandated, and wearing that mask as consistently as any head coach in the country and making sure that every decision that we made was in the best interests of our student-athletes and making sure that everything we did was communicated and was transparent. Had a lot of zoom meetings with the parents to make sure that they were informed with what was going on in the northeast. And in Pennsylvania we took a very strict conservative approach with it and I think the success that we had in terms of specifically with COVID I think showed that," Franklin said.
During last season, Franklin was separated from his family as he has a daughter with Sickle Cell disease. He mentioned that the implications of Covid-19 hit close to home.
"I actually just reunited with my family a month ago during vacation. We have been separated for almost 14 months. So it's been something that we take very serious in our home, but also in our community. And what I challenge people is whether you completely agree with it or not, you're making a sacrifice for others that maybe don't have that choice. So we will take it very serious at Penn State and I know the conference will as well," Franklin said, adding he and his team will not let their guard down.
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