In 'An Open Letter To The Big Ten Community', dated on 8/19/20, Big Ten Conference commissioner Kevin Warren, in response to the decision by the COP/C to 'postpone' the 2020 fall football season, wrote that "the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes" is "at the center of our decision-making process."
Having subsequently reversed this decision - {a decision, according to Commissioner Warren, that the COP/C had been "overwhelmingly in support of" and one that categorically "will not be revisited"} - the Big Ten Conference, pursuant to having put in place plenty of prohibitive, punitive and positively draconian conditions has, nonetheless, grudgingly agreed to play anyway
One such condition paving the way to a fall 2020 football season is a negative diagnosis per a daily COVID-19 rapid result testing kit before any individual be allowed to step foot onto the athletic complex
To be sure, the daily testing of players, coaches, trainers, etc is NOT prohibitive, much less punitive, much less draconian
To be sure, the enforced quarantine of players, coaches, trainers, etc who test positive for COVID-19 is NOT prohibitive, much less punitive, much less draconian
{although the actual length of the enforced quarantine, one that well exceeds that imposed by the other Power 5 conferences, as well as the recommendation of the CDC, itself, may well qualify as prohibitive, punitive, and draconian!}
What most absolutely IS prohibitive, punitive, and draconian {where COVID-19 testing is concerned} is that the B1G has decreed that no more than 170 individuals be tested daily
The B1G is providing 170 rapid result testing kits, daily, to it's member institutions and this is more than sufficient to cover the average Big Ten roster of 110 players along with the approximately 50 members of support staff {coaches, trainers, etc}
Nebraska, however, is a different animal
With a roster of 150+ players and an approximate staff size of 50 - we are going to require over 200 daily tests
"Not a problem"
says the University of Nebraska
"We'll just purchase, ourselves, the extra test kits that we need"
"Hold your horses"
says Commissioner Warren
"We're paying for 170 tests per day and we will not allow you to test anymore than 170 individuals on any given day!"
The unfortunate, bottom line fact of the matter is that Nebraska never has been and, almost certainly, never will be able to recruit on par with fellow blue bloods like Ohio St, Penn St, and Michigan - at least, not on a consistent basis
Instead of relying upon the recruiting of top shelf talent - Nebraska, once upon a time, developed a system by which to minimize the on the field talent differential {where our peers are concerned}, while, at the same time, maximizing the potential of the talent that we were able to attract
The walk on program was a key component of this system - of the 'Nebraska Way'
The system by which the Cornhuskers managed to thoroughly dominate college football over the last four decades of the twentieth century
The walk on program, having been gutted following the termination of the 42 year Devaney/Osborne/Solich era, is an essential component of Scott Frost's plan to restore Nebraska to it's rightful place in the college football hierarchy
The re-establishment of an expansive walk on program is central to Frost's vision of marrying Oregon speed with Husker Power
It's crucial to the restoration of the 'Nebraska Way'
The B1G, whether or not it does so consciously and purposefully, is cutting us off at the knees
This, in conjunction, with the conference having actively scheduled against us from day one {see my thread titled: A Hard Row to Hoe}
forum.huskermax.com
Whether or not the B1G is, in reality, "out to get" Nebraska, there is no question whatsoever that the B1G is little interested in the student-athlete in general
The Big Ten Conference is supposed to exist for the benefit of the student-athlete
The Big Ten Conference supposedly exists to serve the best interests of the student-athlete
From the 'Open Letter To The Big Ten Community', dated 8/19/20, Commissioner Warren wrote that "We will continue to make the best decisions possible for the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes. We appreciate the passion of the Big Ten community and will harness that energy towards providing the best possible experience for all Big Ten student-athletes"
How, exactly, Commissioner Warren, is the B1G serving the best interests of the student-athletes under your charge by denying them an opportunity to participate in Big Ten athletics?
Do you truly care about the health and safety and WELLNESS of the Big Ten athlete??
If you did, then you wouldn't prohibit them from following their dreams...
Having subsequently reversed this decision - {a decision, according to Commissioner Warren, that the COP/C had been "overwhelmingly in support of" and one that categorically "will not be revisited"} - the Big Ten Conference, pursuant to having put in place plenty of prohibitive, punitive and positively draconian conditions has, nonetheless, grudgingly agreed to play anyway
One such condition paving the way to a fall 2020 football season is a negative diagnosis per a daily COVID-19 rapid result testing kit before any individual be allowed to step foot onto the athletic complex
To be sure, the daily testing of players, coaches, trainers, etc is NOT prohibitive, much less punitive, much less draconian
To be sure, the enforced quarantine of players, coaches, trainers, etc who test positive for COVID-19 is NOT prohibitive, much less punitive, much less draconian
{although the actual length of the enforced quarantine, one that well exceeds that imposed by the other Power 5 conferences, as well as the recommendation of the CDC, itself, may well qualify as prohibitive, punitive, and draconian!}
What most absolutely IS prohibitive, punitive, and draconian {where COVID-19 testing is concerned} is that the B1G has decreed that no more than 170 individuals be tested daily
The B1G is providing 170 rapid result testing kits, daily, to it's member institutions and this is more than sufficient to cover the average Big Ten roster of 110 players along with the approximately 50 members of support staff {coaches, trainers, etc}
Nebraska, however, is a different animal
With a roster of 150+ players and an approximate staff size of 50 - we are going to require over 200 daily tests
"Not a problem"
says the University of Nebraska
"We'll just purchase, ourselves, the extra test kits that we need"
"Hold your horses"
says Commissioner Warren
"We're paying for 170 tests per day and we will not allow you to test anymore than 170 individuals on any given day!"
The unfortunate, bottom line fact of the matter is that Nebraska never has been and, almost certainly, never will be able to recruit on par with fellow blue bloods like Ohio St, Penn St, and Michigan - at least, not on a consistent basis
Instead of relying upon the recruiting of top shelf talent - Nebraska, once upon a time, developed a system by which to minimize the on the field talent differential {where our peers are concerned}, while, at the same time, maximizing the potential of the talent that we were able to attract
The walk on program was a key component of this system - of the 'Nebraska Way'
The system by which the Cornhuskers managed to thoroughly dominate college football over the last four decades of the twentieth century
The walk on program, having been gutted following the termination of the 42 year Devaney/Osborne/Solich era, is an essential component of Scott Frost's plan to restore Nebraska to it's rightful place in the college football hierarchy
The re-establishment of an expansive walk on program is central to Frost's vision of marrying Oregon speed with Husker Power
It's crucial to the restoration of the 'Nebraska Way'
The B1G, whether or not it does so consciously and purposefully, is cutting us off at the knees
This, in conjunction, with the conference having actively scheduled against us from day one {see my thread titled: A Hard Row to Hoe}
A Hard Row to Hoe
Given the rebellious 'thorn in the side' identity that the Huskers have recently acquired for themselves in Chicago, it's no surprise that the B1G has saddled Nebraska with the two best teams from the East Division as crossover opponents for the upcoming 2020 season I, for one, say bring on the...
Whether or not the B1G is, in reality, "out to get" Nebraska, there is no question whatsoever that the B1G is little interested in the student-athlete in general
The Big Ten Conference is supposed to exist for the benefit of the student-athlete
The Big Ten Conference supposedly exists to serve the best interests of the student-athlete
From the 'Open Letter To The Big Ten Community', dated 8/19/20, Commissioner Warren wrote that "We will continue to make the best decisions possible for the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes. We appreciate the passion of the Big Ten community and will harness that energy towards providing the best possible experience for all Big Ten student-athletes"
How, exactly, Commissioner Warren, is the B1G serving the best interests of the student-athletes under your charge by denying them an opportunity to participate in Big Ten athletics?
Do you truly care about the health and safety and WELLNESS of the Big Ten athlete??
If you did, then you wouldn't prohibit them from following their dreams...
