Navy AD Chet Gladchuk: Army-Navy game will happen 'if there's only one game we're going to play'

Even if the worsening coronavirus pandemic forces universities and conferences to cancel all college football seasons, Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk is committed to continuing the tradition of his program facing Army.

Gladchuk spoke with ESPN's Heather Dinich on Monday about the situation:

"If there's only one game we're going to play, it's the Army-Navy game. Unless the pandemic is such at the time that we're precluded by the city of Philadelphia to play that game, we have every intention of playing Army-Navy.

"The game is already virtually sold out. Can we accommodate that number? I don't know. We always look at it this way -- including Notre Dame on Labor Day weekend -- we're preparing for scenarios and we can always back down if we have to. Good old-fashioned ticket refund. Everybody does it. If we have to give money back, we give money back, but at least we're prepared, right now on the front side."

Navy is scheduled to face Army at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 12. While Navy still has Notre Dame on its schedule, that Aug. 29 showdown will take place at Marine Corps Memorial Stadium instead of in Dublin, Ireland if it happens at all amid the ongoing uncontrolled virus outbreak. 

Thus far, the Ivy League and Patriot League have canceled all fall sports. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are among conferences that moved to conference-only schedules to limit travel.