The UConn Huskies have declined to enter the gridiron fray amid an ongoing pandemic.
The University of Connecticut announced Wednesday in a statement it has cancelled its 2020 college football season due to COVID-19 concerns. In doing so, the Huskies become the first NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team to suspend play because of the pandemic.
“After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we’ve decided that we will not compete on the gridiron this season,” UConn director of athletics David Benedict said. “The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
Players have been on campus since early July and they’ll remain enrolled in classes as full-time students. They also will be able to access facilities and other services UConn offers them.
Having left the American Athletic Conference in July, UConn was expected to play an independent schedule this season.