Brian Griese Says Big Ten Made a Mistake By Cancelling the Season Early

It's too early to say whether or not it is the correct call. There is still a chance that playing in the ACC, B12, SEC, or other conferences blows up in their face. In terms of bad outcomes, best case scenario is so many games get postponed/cancelled that the season isn't legitimate and the conference championships are a joke. Worst case is COVID outbreaks among teams result in serious sickness/death among players/coaches/staff (which is incremental to not playing). It's impossible to judge until the end when all facts are known - so far, no major conference games have been played.

That being said, every day that actual games get closer it's looking like it would have been possible for the B10 to pull it off. I'm not in the details of every team, but from afar I've seen teams do plenty of testing, isolating outbreaks, and postponing games when necessary. Maybe the B10 could have done the same. Again, too early to know one way or another. 

I suspect that the B1G wanted to be the first to lead (as they always do ?) by closing it down, and was a little surprised that the other conferences didn’t get in line.

If they had simply pushed the decision out my guess is that we would still be planning on a season.

Just my two cents.

Why do we keep posting the opinions of people whose opinions are meaningless during a public health emergency. Football players want to play football is about 10% of what should be going in to whether to play football. Other more important factors to consider:

-Does it increase the risk of outbreak or spread?

-Is it putting others lives at risk who don't get a say in the matter?

-Will the testing resources necessary impact the ability to provide needed tests to the community?

-Is it a necessary function to society whose positives outweigh the negative risks of doing something more risky during a pandemic?

None of those questions can be objectively answered by the people actually involved in playing football and all are more important and consequential than Brian Griese's opinion.

Well, with his "Individualized Concentration" degree from Michigan, he should be up there near the podium for every Trump COVID briefing.  I am sure he would have a fan of his opinion somewhere near him.

It's sad to say, but are the Big 10 banking on there being an outbreak? Should an outbreak happen, this will blow over and everyone will say they made the right decision. But does the Big 10 not trust the facilities and programs of their schools? 

So programs like Central Arkansas are better prepared, and have trust in their COVID response and prevention, than Michigan?  If so, then that's a whole other issue that needs to be addressed. 

At the time, canceling the season seemed like a wise decision based on both what was known and not known about the impact the disease would have on players and coaches. Considering that the B1G walked away from hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as a result means that, on balance, the perceived risks far outweighed any benefits to the schools or the players. 

But, in retrospect, a decision to delay the season by a month, pending what might or might not happen when school resumed, would have been prudent. I don't know if that option was considered, but the university presidents and ADs should have worked harder to vet a path that delayed a final decision. Canceling the season a month before it started wasn't it.

Play, dont play, just stfu about it.

Everyone has an opinion nowadays and the world will end if we can't share it.

Cool story bro: his senior year girlfriend went to my high school and i knew her, and was friends with her sister.  He came to our high school winter homecoming with the girlfriend and my roommate and I met him and he was very nice. 

By the way, he met his wife in Denver when he was a QB (says internet) so I suppose he wouldn't have met her had he not played his senior year and gotten drafted and played in the NFL.  But that's kind of a stretch.

We get it, Brian Griese makes his living from football. He went to my school, and he brought it some glory, so props for that. But Brian Griese is a pretty good example of how mediocre can climb up a ladder if his father is also sending down a rope. Just not a wildly inspired human, from anything I could ever discern. And since many of the sport's followers also fill that bill, some will embrace his comment.  

The ncaa has already said they'll preserve their eligibility. All that's lost is the opportunity cost of possible professional employment and wages for one year of their lives.  We all (or at least some of us) have made significant sacrifices and lost actual current income due to covid-19 because we appreciate the need to avoid the potentially catastrophic situation of spreading the virus too quickly with inadequate means to treat.  Since we're getting caught up on supply issues like masks and sanitizer and virus testing, there should be obvious steps toward resuming sports and normalcy with adequate safety precautions.

He's sensationalizing and wrongly assuming that these kids won't be accomplishing anything this year. That somehow football defines their existence which is messed up.

Well, it's settled then. I'm just glad we all have closure now. 

I truly don't think this is about COVID. Members of Pac 12 and Big 10 schools were wise in knowing that they have leverage in this situation. If you remember, Pac 12 football teams were threatening to sit out if their demands weren't met. This got many talking about the possibility of paying players( I actually think being paid was one of their demands but I could be wrong), and unionizing, which would be the end of amateur college football as we know it. Big 10 football players soon followed after understanding their leverage in the situation and wanted to protect themselves by issuing a wish list if a season were to begin.

In my opinion, the Pac12 and Big10 took the ball out of players hands and cancelled before they were able to mobilize any further. This explains why it was only those 2 conferences of the Power 5 to cancel the seson. The cancelling of the season is buying the conferences time to form a strategy if this arises again; which it will. If it weren't for Pac and BIG students showing a collective concern bout their health, I think we would have BIG and P12 football. 

That's why the idea of starting the Big 10 season sooner vs later is not going away. If the ACC, SEC and Big 12 can pull off playing their scheduled games the next two weeks, the Big 10 will be compelled to join the party. 

Obtaining the rapid testing will be a decider.

Meh. The virus has been devastating to large sections of the entire country because of how we've handled it. Football isn't special

This is like my child continuing to whine after the third time I tell them no to something.  Better yet, it's like my mother in law telling me to just think of the children.  Be honest, this isnt about the children and their lost opportunities.  Its about you and me being told we cant have something we want.  And if there is anything that we cant stand, its being told no.

Question: Why is it exclusively the B1G that is being criticized? The PAC12 cancelled first and they're just absolved of any criticism?

My biggest issue is that what appears to be intelligent individuals in charge of this are too busy saying “we can’t, and we won’t” instead of figuring out a way to do something. The NBA, NFL, High School Football, MLB, SEC, ACC,Big 12 all found alternative ways and solutions. Be innovative. Be “the leaders and best” at this. The chicken little approach is frustrating to everyone involved because they don’t get a say in it. Just elitist suits saving everyone from themselves.

While I get that, that's a bit biased on Brian's end.  His personal story that is swaying his opinion.  His story is not the norm.  There aren't many RS seniors who have never been a starter that go on to do so, win a NC, and get drafted.  He's the exception rather than the norm.  And, you don't risk a pandemic in hopes that may ring true for someone in the future.  There may be more sound, scientific safety reasons (or there may not be) that support having a season, but his past experience is not one of them.  

I don't care what Brian Griese says about football these days why on earth would I care about his opinion on this?

Right decision or wrong?

Here's a a quick off the cuff hypo:  I'm over a buddies house watching a game and drinking more than my share of micro-brewed beverages and brown liquor.  By the end of the game, I know I shouldn't drive when I weigh the risks/reward, but I know if I don't make it home, my wife will be pissed and I think she'll follow thru with her threat that the next time is "the last time she's putting up with my s#$%." 

So I drive home anyway, trying to be as careful as I can, but it's a really long drive and there are a couple of near misses including when I drive through my neighborhood I pass my elderly parents' house and nearly clip my dad who's taking the trash curbside.

I make it home, give my wife some flowers, sober up, and none is the wiser.

Guess it was a good choice to drive home, right?   I didn't hit my dad (or anyone else) and now I've got a lifetime of opportunities to save my marriage (and hopefully not drink and drive during the next urge (C19 spike)).

Decisions are based on the info at the the time. I cannot say B1G is clearly wrong to wait a month, see how it all plays out with the $EC, and then late start if it makes sense.

Football guy wants football to be played. Interesting. That’s all well and good, but Penn State just had 48 positive cases on the team, so nobody’s playing them for a while.