FOOTBALL FEVER

Nebraska Governor Not Happy College Kids Can’t Risk Their Health to Play Football

Pete Ricketts says it was a mistake for the Big Ten to postpone the season, even as student athletes across the country contract the virus.

College football players across the country are contracting COVID-19—but in Nebraska, Gov. Pete Ricketts is annoyed that the Big Ten postponed the fall season. Ricketts—who never issued a statewide lockdown order or mask mandate—said the conference “made a mistake” with the delay. “I think the Big Ten has taken a bad approach with regard to this and I would certainly encourage the Big Ten to reexamine what they’re doing because they’re penalizing a lot of folks here,” Ricketts said, according to the Omaha World-Herald. The Republican said it would be totally manageable to hold football games in Nebraska—where the risk of virus spread was raised from moderate to high last week. The coronavirus, meanwhile, is taking its toll on teams that are on the field; Auburn is down 16 players, and Louisiana State University recently practiced with just four offensive linemen.