“No Regrets” for B1G Commissioner Since Taking Over the Job

Written by: @Zgreene650

It’s safe to say that B1G ten commissioner Kevin Warren has had a challenging job since taking over the position on January 2, 2020. So far as commissioner, he has had to deal with a social justice uprising throughout the nation, a presidential election, and COVID-19. That said, Warren has ZERO regrets about the way that he has handled things so far.

“I don't have any regrets.I mean, quite naturally, we all look back over our lives and are there things we wish we would have maybe done a little bit differently, but if I had the chance to do it all over last year, I would do, make the same decisions that we made, because one of the things that I've always tried to focus on, and you heard me say it today, is making sure we keep our student-athletes at the center of all of our decisions, athletically, academically, regarding college football playoff expansion, relationships with our media partners, relationships with our bowl partners, all of those different things.”

Warren did not exactly get a vote of approval from the public after how he handled the 2020 football season which saw numerous miscues in how things were handled from the drawing up of an initial schedule before cancelling a few days late to changing the requirements to qualify for the Big Ten Championship game.

He did not directly address that issue on Thursday in Indianapolis, but it is a memory that burns fresh in Indiana fans memories.

Warren took over the job from former commissioner Jim Delany and worked his way up to the position after working in the NFL for 21 years. Along the way, Warren learned how to be resilient and lead the Minnesota Vikings to launch their community foundation. The skills he learned along the way showed him how to be strong even during struggling times and, most importantly, to be grateful and humble.

“I say this seriously, I really do appreciate the sacrifices that you all make on a daily basis. It's not easy, you have significant others, you have children, you have parents, you have pets, you have other things in your life that are important, and for you to take the time to come here today, but also to cover us on a yearly basis really means a lot to me and for that I will be eternally grateful. So thank you very much and God bless you all.”

Warren’s decisions over the past 18 months have not been easy, and he wishes that the communication could have been better.

“Maybe the communication wasn't as clean and perfect as it could have been at times, and I think you've seen improvement with that, that's one of the reasons why it's good to have people like John Schwartz here with us, but all in all as I look back last year was a year of gratitude, it was a very, very complicated time in our lives.”

Warren was proud of how he handled the job during the press conference, speaking loud and clear to the media. It seemed as if he had a burden off his shoulder with many of the challenges behind him. That said, the players, coaches, and people in the front office at the B1G know that nothing can be taken for granted. This is why we will see one of the best seasons for this conference. Everyone will be motivated to give it their all and leave everything out on the line because they know what it is like not to have football and have everything taken away from them.

Hoosier Huddle will be live from Big Ten Media Days Thursday and Friday.