UCLA’s football team and athletic department are being crushed for the way they handled their bowl game.
The Bruins were scheduled to play NC State in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif. at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. They announced four and a half hours before kickoff that they would not be playing.
UCLA cited COVID protocols within the program as the reason for not playing.
Naturally, their announcement just hours before the game left many furious. It was especially annoying that UCLA’s athletic director said the Bruins were in a position to compete as of Monday.
NC State had fans travel across the country to attend the game. UCLA fans traveled for the game. And then the Bruins canceled hours before the event, without giving anyone any advanced notice. That was a poor move that didn’t sit well with many, including NC State’s head coach.
What’s worse is that UCLA cited the health and safety of their players as the reason for withdrawing from the game they were supposed to be playing. But they were well enough to visit Sea World days before the game.
They were well enough to visit a naval ship two days before the game.
UCLA may think that the optics are in its favor because it thinks it is protecting the health of its students. The truth is the opposite. The optics don't look good for the Bruins for flaking without giving any notice. They look bad for being well enough to sight-see but not play in the game they were in San Diego for in the first place. They look bad for not advising anyone, including their opponent, of their situation in advance. They look bad for not playing the game. They look bad for being well enough to play on Monday but not on Tuesday.
The only surprise in this whole situation is that it took UCLA this long to withdraw from the game. Anyone who knows anything about how the school has been operating since last March could see this one coming from a mile away.
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