Bethune-Cookman won’t play sports in spring
Photo courtesy B-CU athletics
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bethune-Cookman University has canceled its remaining 2020-21 athletic season because of the coronavirus pandemic, President E. LaBrent Chrite announced.
“In the face of a surging COVID-19 spike across much of the country and the State of Florida, we have concluded that the risks are too great for our student-athletes and staff to travel and compete at this time,” Chrite said.
The university has ceased all student athletic activities until further notice, out of an abundance of caution.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, as well as our coaches, staff and fans will always be our top priority.”
B-CU’s move wiped out the possibility of the Wildcats facing FAMU in the spring football season, which would have been their first meeting in Tallahassee since 1975.
B-CU becomes one of the first NCAA Division I program to opt out of all sports for the remainder of the year. The decision was made after a series of meetings with stakeholders across the campus community and with athletic director Lynn W. Thompson, coaches, medical and public health experts and state and local officials, Chrite said.
“We obviously recognize that other institutions may elect to move forward with spring competition. The decision for us, however, was not a complicated one. The risk premium is simply too high and our priority remains the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff,” Chrite said. “As members of the B-CU family constantly engage in various forms of civic engagement, this decision also protects our community partners as well.”
Through the pandemic, the dissemination of information on safety protocols and testing has been vital.
“We’ve administered nearly 6,000 tests since the start of the school year, and up until a little over a week ago, saw remarkably positive results from our testing protocols. Over the past eight days, however, we’ve noted a sudden spike in cases on campus, hence this decision.” Thompson said. “B-CU athletics has survived hurricanes, tornadoes and a myriad of other challenges. This pandemic has affected us all, including me personally. Now is not the time for us to roll the balls out and play. It’s the time to close ranks and protect our community so that we can remain safe until it’s time to play again.”
Thompson lost his brother-in law to Covid-19 last month.
The 2020-21 athletic season would have been the 40th and final season for B-CU as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Both FAMU and B-CU will move to the SWAC next academic school year.
Meanwhile, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced it will not hold its Cross Country Championships for the 2020-21 academic year, as the conference’s other fall sports will be competed in the spring of 2021.
The conference consulted its head cross country coaches and student-athletes, and they were in favor of cancellation. The league’s athletic directors and the Championship Administrative Committee also approved of the move.
The championships were originally scheduled for Oct. 30 before the MEAC suspended fall sports in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With fall sports now taking place in spring 2021, that potentially put the Cross Country Championships on the calendar surrounding the end of indoor track & field season and the start of outdoor season.
The 2021 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships are tentatively set for Feb. 26-27 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
