‘HAVE A FANTASTIC SEASON!’

Big Ten Will Play Football During Raging Coronavirus Pandemic After Pressure From Trump

The decision comes as COVID-19 case numbers are spiking on several Big Ten college campuses.

The Big Ten college athletic conference said Wednesday that it will attempt to play football games next month after reversing its decision to call off the fall season due to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic. According to The New York Times, the decision was made following intense pressure from coaches, parents, players, fans and President Donald Trump. The president celebrated the decision in a Wednesday tweet, writing: “BIG TEN FOOTBALL IS BACK. All teams to participate. Thank you to the players, coaches, parents, and all school representatives. Have a FANTASTIC SEASON! It is my great honor to have helped!!!” The U-turn comes even as COVID-19 case numbers spike at several of Big Ten schools. Penn State reported 458 more COVID-19 cases earlier this week, Ohio State has reported 2,097 cases, and UW-Madison recorded 194 new COVID-19 cases last Monday.