The Patriot League has announced the cancellation of all fall sports. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Patriot League cancels fall sports

By Blake Harper | Last updated Jul 13, 2020 12:20 PM ET

The Patriot League has announced that it will be cancel fall sports, with a decision on winter sports being made at a later time.

"From a health and well-being standpoint, things are not getting better in this country," Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel told ESPN. "As we get closer to the point where students are going to be making plans to how they travel back to our campuses as well as student-athletes, it became clear for us that this wasn't going to be in the best interest of our communities to have athletics this fall. That's the decision that had been made. It's incredibly disappointing for our student-athletes and our coaches, and it's not a decision anybody is feeling good about. It's sad. It's gut-wrenching."

The Patriot League joins the Ivy League in canceling all fall sports, while the Big Ten and Pac 12 have announced that they are planning to only have in-conference competition for fall sports. SEC athletic directors are expected to meet Monday to discuss their plans for the upcoming season.

The U.S. Military Academy and Naval Academy are exempt from the cancellation, and their superintendents will be responsible for making any decisions in regards to competitive sports.

Originally, college football did not give any indications of canceling or altering their season, but with the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, conferences have been forced to revise their position. Some wonder if college sports will be played at all this fall, as athletes may not be willing to put their health at risk when they are not even being compensated.

Blake Harper

Blake Harper is a writer based in New York. He's originally from San Diego and is one of the few Chargers fans left. He doesn't believe in ties and loves elaborate celebrations. Follow him on Twitter @beezyharps

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