While speculation has run rampant concerning the future of a 2020 Big Ten football season, Indiana University football coach Tom Allen prefers to focus solely on the here and now. Meeting with members of the media Monday via Zoom, Allen said he realizes there has been a lot of speculation, but nothing changes within the program.
“We will focus on what we know, focus on today, and that’s the message to the guys. I can’t control all that goes on around us. The medical experts tell us what to do, and we will always do what’s best for player safety,” Allen said.
From a football standpoint, Allen said he was “really encouraged” by the first four days of fall camp.
“The guys responded well, I love the focus. We have a mature football team that is hungry. Everything has gone really well. The guys have gotten into a flow and rhythm and we haven’t had any issues with health,” Allen said.
In recent days, Allen, like many, have seen various college football players tweet “#WeWantToPlay, and Indiana wide receiver Whop Philyor became the latest, sending out the Tweet Monday morning. Allen said that while he hasn’t had anyone come to meet with him individually to discuss the movement, he has seen it.
“I am very active on social media in regard to watching our guys," Allen added. "A lot of our guys have put out there they want to play. They want to play, coaches want to play, and we support them on that. They’ve shown how that by how focused they are and how hard they work. We are very specific about what you do to mitigate the risk involved. A lot of guys have a strong desire and have worked hard to get to this point."
Indiana’s coach acknowledged he believes players realize they can play wearing face coverings and adhering to other health protocols.
“Guys have been around their teams the last couple of weeks, you get into a practice flow and learn to trust those protocols," Allen said. "It’s hard to believe I’m doing this, but I am saying make sure your mouth is covered. Guys have realized we can do this.
"Not in a position to make these decisions. I have coach in front of my name, not doctor. You can say they want to play, and I get it, but that’s why you balance it with we follow the advice of medical experts. We are going to follow that lead, do what we are told to do. We will do whatever the parameters are laid out for us. As long as doctors say we can do this, we will. If they say we can’t, we won’t."
Allen said his players have covered their mouths and face guards in practices by either the cloth masks on the helmets, the full helmet splash guards or neck gaiters.
Another point of speculation has been moving the season to the spring, and Allen admits he has not allowed himself to entertain those thoughts, but said moving to the spring would create a lot of challenges and whatever is decided has to be in the best interest of the players.
“I don’t know if that’s a major point of discussion. I am so focused on this season and how do we make this season work," Allen said. "If that were to happen, you put all your energy into that. My whole thing is I’m not making that decision, so I can’t control that. But, I can control my response to that. How do you respond to events in your life? Responding the right way is critical. If that is decided, I am sure we will sit down and hash it out and figure out what we are doing... I haven’t let my mind go there. I think it would create lot of challenges."
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