Morehouse College cancels football, cross country seasons due to coronavirus concerns

The coronavirus pandemic has already drawn an end to many professional and college sports seasons, and it appears it'll continue to do so at one Georgia school.

Morehouse College will not be having a football or cross country season this fall due to COVID-19 concerns, the school announced Friday. President David A. Thomas released a statement saying that the college will not compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions not only to keep athletes safe, but everyone else on campus as well. 

“Like all of the decisions we've made related to COVID-19, this was a difficult one but was made with the health and well-being of our students and community in mind," Thomas said. "It follows my intention to maintain a safe campus in hopes that our students will be able to return in August. Our Maroon Tiger teams travel to other NCAA institutions and cannot compete without breaking from social distancing guidelines still maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sporting events also invite individuals to our campus who will not be subject to the testing and monitoring that we plan to implement for our students, faculty, and staff.”

The school still will honor athletic scholarships and pledged to commit to athletes as students. Morehouse is based in Atlanta and plays in Division II. The school announced a decision on winter and spring athletics will be made later in the year. 

Bowdoin College, a Division III school in Maine, also canceled its fall athletic seasons on Monday due to the pandemic. These decisions come after multiple Division I schools reported double-digit numbers of positive coronavirus cases last week.