Big Ten Announces Forfeiture Policy as Season is Set to Start

/
warren (1).jpeg

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Big Ten Conference is just five days away from the start of the football season and on Monday morning they finally announced their COVID-19 forfeiture policy in a release.

In collaboration and communication with the Big Ten Conference Athletic Directors, Chancellors and Presidents, the Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the Sports Medicine Committee – effective today – the conference has determined that if one of its member institutions is unable to play a conference contest due to COVID-19, that contest shall be declared a forfeit and will not be rescheduled. That contest shall be considered a loss for the team impacted by COVID-19 and a win for its opponent in the conference standings. If both of the two competing teams are unable to participate in a scheduled Conference competition due to COVID-19 and as a result the competition is unable to occur on the calendar day on which it is scheduled, the competition shall be considered a “no contest.”

The full policy is as it reads below:

Interim Guidance for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)

(Adopted and effective from 8/20/21 until rescinded by the Administrators Council.)

  1. Competition Involving Two Teams. If a team is unable to participate in a scheduled Conference competition due to COVID-19 and as a result the competition is unable to occur on the calendar day on which it is scheduled, the competition shall be considered a forfeit by the team unable to participate and shall not be rescheduled. In such case, the team unable to participate shall be assessed a “loss,” its opponent a “win,” and Conference standings shall be adjusted accordingly.

  2. Competition Involving Two Teams. If both of the two competing teams are unable to participate in a scheduled Conference competition due to COVID-19 and as a result the competition is unable to occur on the calendar day on which it is scheduled, and is unable to be rescheduled, the competition shall be considered a “no contest.”

  3. Competition Involving Three or More Teams. If a team is unable to participate in a scheduled Conference competition due to COVID-19 and team performance in the competition impacts Conference standings, a team unable to participate due to COVID-19 will be considered to have forfeited the competition. In such case, a team unable to participate shall be assessed a “loss,” each of its opponents a “win,” and Conference standings shall be adjusted accordingly. If team performance in the competition does not impact Conference standings and/or the involved sport is one in which there are no Conference standings, no further action shall be taken.

2020 became a bigger mess than it already was after a cancelled and rescheduled season was announced, when the Big Ten changed their minimum number of games policy mid-season to assure that Ohio State would be the Big Ten representative in the Big Ten Championship Game. The policy still leaves some questions as to the minimum number of conference games that need to be played, if there is a minimum number of available players clause and other COVID related protocols.

At Big Ten Media Days in July Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said he had no regrets over how he handled 2020, but wished communication was clearer.