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Notre Dame Athletics: University should follow lead of SEC

By Ben Belden

SOUTH BEND, IN - MARCH 04: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheerleader is seen during the game is seen during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Purcell Pavilion on March 4, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - MARCH 04: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish cheerleader is seen during the game is seen during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Purcell Pavilion on March 4, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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On Friday, the Southeastern Conference made an important announcement involving fall sport athletes and their scholarships. One would hope Notre Dame athletics would follow suit.

The Southeastern Conference set what will perhaps be an important precedence on Friday afternoon. The conference announced that schools will still honor the scholarships of student-athletes who participate in fall sports, even if those athletes choose to not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It goes without saying that Notre Dame athletics — along with other athletic departments around the country — should extend similar guarantees to its student-athletes.

Recently, I considered whether or not some Notre Dame players could consider sitting out a makeshift 2020 season. While Notre Dame has made no such formal announcement, perhaps the precedence set by the SEC will inspire other conferences and institutions to do the same. If that is the case, certainly more players will consider the risk versus the reward of playing in 2020.

While it is scary for college football fans to consider that certain household names would consider sitting out in 2020, giving them the option to do so is undoubtedly the right thing to do. Wherever you happen to stand on the matter of shutdowns, masks, and all the other issues surrounding college athletics and the COVID-19 pandemic, college athletic programs should put the student first. In this case, one would hope the Notre Dame Athletic Department would follow suit.

With strange schedules and perhaps a delayed season start on the horizon, this proclamation made by the SEC could potentially be the next domino to fall in what will be a very atypical college football season. There is at least a small faction of fans on social media who suggest that teams “punt” on the 2020 season and use whatever transpires as a stepping stone to reload in 2021.

Next. Could the Irish rely on other independent schools to fill their schedule?. dark

It’s hard to fathom that college football may be less meaningful in 2020, but as I’ve always said, less meaningful football is better than no football at all.

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