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U-M Coach Jim Harbaugh wants Michigan to play football this season

Jim Harbaugh said he wants football to be played because he thinks the virus can be controlled.

MICHIANA, Mich. — University of Michigan's head coach for football Jim Harbaugh released a statement Monday after reports from numerous media outlets stated that the Big Ten would cancel its upcoming football season.   

Harbaugh said he wants football to be played because he thinks the coronavirus can be controlled.

"I’m not advocating for football this fall because of my passion or our players desire to play but because of the facts accumulated over the last eight weeks since our players returned to campus on June 13," the statement said. 

Harbaugh released the following points to back up his reasoning. 

  • The Michigan football program has had 11 positive tests out of 893 administered, including three upon initial return to campus. 
  • We have had two positive tests out of the last 417 administered. 
  • We have had zero positive tests out of the last 353 administered.
  • There have been zero positives tests among the coaches or staff over the entire eight weeks of testing. 
  • There has been no contract tracing to our fields, weight room, locker room or facility. • We have had zero pauses in our training. 
  • We have complied with all CDC guidelines and self‐implemented stricter standards for contacting tracing in quarantining to prevent spread. 
  • We have followed all health and safety guidelines and welcome and encourage any health department, University administrators or other sports programs to visit and see how we practice and execute these protocols.
  •  As Darryl Conway our Chief Medical Officer and a member of the Big Ten’s Medical Advisory Group has stated, “I wish that others could see this model.”

Read the full statement from Harbaugh here:

I would like to address the rumors that are swirling today. I'm not advocating for football this fall because of my passion or our players desire to play but because of the facts accumulated over the last eight weeks since our players returned to campus on June 13.

According to The Detroit Free Press, the Big Ten's presidents have voted to cancel its upcoming college football season amid concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The Freep the Big Ten's presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season. According to Dan Patrick, Iowa and Nebraska were the only schools to vote in favor of moving forward with the upcoming campaign.

It remains undetermined whether or not the conference will attempt to hold a season in the spring.

Several teams have reported COVID-19 cases in the past month as players met for practice. The University of Michigan reported 35 cases among athletes across all sports, and Michigan State University has 30 reported cases.  

 

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