CHICAGO — The “We Want to Play” campaign never was a guarantee that “We Will Play.”
An ultimately successful attempt to push the Big Ten into playing during a pandemic has left many on the sidelines in a season promising to be filled with risks and pitfalls.
In just the second week of the season, the conference is 0 for 2 in getting through it virus-free.
Wisconsin’s and Illinois’ starting quarterbacks, whose teams played each other Oct. 23 in Madison, contracted COVID-19.
Wisconsin announced earlier in the week it canceled its Saturday game against Nebraska as positive tests mounted. As of Saturday, the team knew of 22 positive tests — 12 players and 10 staff members, including quarterback Graham Mertz and coach Paul Chryst.
Shortly before kickoff against Purdue on Saturday in Champaign, Illinois announced quarterback Brandon Peters and tight end Griffin Moore would not play in the home opener. They tested positive Thursday and will sit out 21 days, per Big Ten rules.
Twelve other Illini players sat out. Coach Lovie Smith said “most” missed the 31-24 loss because of contact-tracing quarantines, which Illinois followed at the suggestion of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local health protocols. He would not say if any staff members contracted COVID-19.
“It hit us late in the week,” Smith said. “It’s hard to tell where it came from. Did we go to Wisconsin? Yes. Did we spend the night in Wisconsin? Yes we did. We were on a bus. We’re not in a bubble. We live in the world. Things can happen. We don’t have a big problem on our team with guys who tested positive.”
On Thursday, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a Heisman Trophy favorite, announced he contracted COVID-19. More than 30 games throughout FBS have been postponed or canceled since the start of the season.
The Big Ten indicated it could be different.
After watching the SEC, ACC and Big 12 continue to play, Big Ten presidents and chancellors reversed course after initially delaying its season until potentially the spring. The conference faced pressure from conservative politicians — including the president — lawyered-up parents of players and the prospect of losing millions of dollars.
Many players pushed for stricter protocols. And many campaigned with the “We Want To Play” rally cry.
Touting its top-notch COVID-19 safety regulations that were stricter than any other conference, the Big Ten kicked off its season last weekend.
Daily testing was presented as a near-guarantee — and interpreted that way by legions of fans, players, players’ parents and others — the Big Ten plan was as flawless as possible.
Instead, it’s not that much different than other conferences so far.
None of this is shocking — but rather predictable.
Illinois state health officials on Saturday reported 7,899 new known COVID-19 cases, surpassing Friday’s single-day record and pushing the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic’s onset to 410,300. Officials also announced 46 fatalities, Saturday, bringing the statewide toll to 9,757.
Wisconsin state health officials also reported a single-day high Saturday with 5,278 new cases, breaking Tuesday’s record.
Yet too many coaches, fans and sports media continue to discuss COVID-19 as if it’s a sprained ankle instead of a contagious and dangerous virus.
Whether Lawrence can return for the top-ranked Tigers’ game against No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday is the topic of conversations rather than his health or if anyone outside of the team has been infected. Wisconsin’s chance at a Big Ten championship being in peril because of missed games is more of a worry than what this means for Madison, Wis., public health.
Long-term health effects, even for young people who recover, are unknown.
A test result is only as good as the second it’s taken. Days can pass before an asymptomatic carrier tests positive.
Athletes’ ability to spread the virus is no different from anyone. It isn’t limited to the confines of their stadiums. It can be passed to vulnerable people in their communities and their families in that time.
“We don’t have a lot of positives,” Smith said. “Contact tracing has knocked more of our players out even though we test each day.”
But as we have seen, that’s no guarantee.
