Politicians request Big Ten to reconsider football postponement

One week after President Donald Trump tweeted that he'd spoken with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren about the conference's decision to postpone football and other fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, a group of politicians signed a letter delivered to Warren asking his league to reconsider.

Per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives Lee Chatfield penned the letter that was also signed by nine Senate and House leaders from Pennsylvania, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. All 10 politicians are Republicans.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 both officially announced the cancellations of fall calendars on Aug. 11. In late August, The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach confirmed that 11 of 14 Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted to postpone. Rittenberg added on Tuesday that ESPN has learned Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa were responsible for the dissenting votes.

Auerbach also reported the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed after learning that a study conducted by Ohio State director of sports cardiology Dr. Curt Daniels reportedly found that 15% of student-athletes who tested positive for the coronavirus also contracted myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle known to cause sudden cardiac arrest.

Since the Big Ten vowed not to play this fall, students, parents and fans have protested the ruling, in part because fellow Power 5 conferences the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 are beginning campaigns later this month. For a piece published on the Big Ten website on Aug. 19, Warren said that the vote to postpone "will not be revisited."

The latest letter sent to Warren on the matter reads: 

"Recent actions taken by other conferences across the country to start football and other fall sports have placed the Big Ten, its members and students at a disadvantage. These athletes are losing a vital part of student life and are becoming less marketable to future employers with each passing week. Additionally, our local universities stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars that support vital student scholarships.

"This is even more frustrating when we think of how our Big Ten athletic programs are leading the way by providing outstanding health and safety protocols."

Last week, multiple in-the-know individuals scoffed at rumors that an altered Big Ten football season could begin on or around Oct. 10.