The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has canceled football and other fall sports due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the conference has officially announced.
News of the MEAC canceling the 2020 season was first reported by Kenn Rashad of HBCU Sports.
Sources are telling me that the MEAC will be making an announcement to cancel all fall sports.
— Kenn Rashad (@KennRashad) July 16, 2020
The MEAC also stated today that a “…decision is yet to be made on whether fall sports schedules will be moved to the 2021 spring semester.”
The MEAC is the third Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference to cancel their fall sports, joining the Ivy League and the Patriot League. No conference has yet to announce a decision to play their football season in the spring.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes continue to be our number one priority. We have made the decision to suspend all sports competitions after careful review of the current conditions and consideration of the potential exposure that regular travel to competitions may cause and ongoing extensive physical contact,” said Howard University President and Chair of MEAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick. “While our competitions have been suspended, each member institution will plan ongoing engagement of all student-athletes to ensure optimization of their physical and mental well-being as they continue their matriculation.”
“Obviously this is an arduous decision because everyone wants to have a fall season for student-athletes, fans and others,” said MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas. “Part of our responsibility is to ensure the mental and physical health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff is paramount. It is imperative that everyone recognize that is our first and foremost responsibility.”
As a result of the MEAC canceling the fall 2020 football season, eight non-conference games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents are affected. Morgan State at Northwestern on Nov. 14 was previously canceled by the Big Ten.
- Morgan State at Appalachian State (Sept. 5)
- NC Central at Ohio (Sept. 5)
- Bethune-Cookman at USF (Sept. 12)
- North Carolina A&T at Liberty (Sept. 12)
- Howard at Arkansas State (Sept. 12)
- Norfolk State at Charlotte (Sept. 12)
- Norfolk State at East Carolina (Sept. 19)
- Florida A&M at UCF (Nov. 7)
- Morgan State at Northwestern (Nov. 14)
I gonna think the whole world became insane. Was there an attack on Pearl Harbor, conducted by the Japanese Imperial Navy?
No, but more than 47 times the number of people that were killed at Pearl Harbor have been killed by Covid-19 in the US alone.
Spent a couple fall afternoons on Howard’s campus watching their football team. A dispiriting development inevitable as it may seem
If this continue, will there be a March Madness 2021?
No.