B1G basketball alters Covid forfeiture rules
"The adjusted forfeiture policy for all remaining 2021-22 Big Ten contests allows the league to review every impacted game and determine whether it can be rescheduled, declared a no-contest or declared a forfeit. The Big Ten's initial policy called for teams impacted by COVID-19 to forfeit the impacted games."
"Big Ten teams that have enough players and coaches still might choose not to compete, but would need to demonstrate compelling reasons to the league and its chief medical officer, Dr. James Borchers.
"A team that does not compete, and is unable to demonstrate why it is unsafe to compete, will be assessed a forfeiture,' the Big Ten stated in a news release."
December 28th, 2021 at 1:57 PM ^
"A team that does not compete, and is unable to demonstrate why it is unsafe to compete, will be assessed a forfeiture unless we determine that it benefits us more to do something else."
Fixed it for them.
In all honestly, I think this is the right call and compromise. Allows for some flexibility, and things can be worked out in the background with a sense that all teams that can potentially play...should play. IMO.
December 28th, 2021 at 2:18 PM ^
The forfeiture rules made sense with prior variants, but now that we’ve got a variant which requires luck to avoid assuming you are doing anything in society (as student athletes necessarily are), an update to the policy is wise. Hopefully it is not enforced arbitrarily.
December 28th, 2021 at 2:54 PM ^
All of this COVID news is getting ugly but concerning. Hopefully a 5 day isolation per CDC will suffice. That will minimize the down time.
December 28th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
Dr. James Borchers, from (searches google) Columbus, Ohio, that Dr. James Borchers.
B1G doesn’t even try to hide it anymore.
December 28th, 2021 at 3:03 PM ^
So? How does this favor OSU?
This seems fairer than the previous plan of making teams forfeit if their players got Covid.
December 29th, 2021 at 8:32 AM ^
I'm sure he studied all 14 teams and decided that THIS was the way to give OSU a competitive advantage....
/s
December 28th, 2021 at 3:27 PM ^
It seems that anyone not cocooning at home is going to get this new variant. Maybe if you are boostered you can avoid it.
At some point we may have to decide that infection is inevitable and only try to protect the most at-risk people (elderly, immunocompromised). Trying to keep others from being infected seems nearly impossible.
December 28th, 2021 at 4:32 PM ^
Clearly stated rule + flexible interpretation = outrage
Like a ref calling—or not calling—holding on the line of scrimmage.