UNC Shuts Down Athletics & Classes One Week Into Return To School

Just one week after returning to class and two days after saying that a COVID-19 outbreak would not affect their plans for restarting athletic programs, the University of North Carolina has announced that they would be temporarily suspending athletics after an on-campus COVID-19 outbreak. “After consulting with our health experts and University leadership, we are taking this action to protect our students, coaches and staff,” UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham said. “We want to make sure we continue to do everything we can to ensure that that our teams, campus, and community remain healthy.”

This move also coincides with the University moving all classes online one week after stating their intention to do all of their classes in person. This is a bad sign for colleges which intend to have in-person classes but also the recent “We Want to Play” movement that has seen many notable college football players and staffers release public statements expressing their desire to play college football this year. That reality is seeming less and less likely with the best-case scenario probably being a season starting early next year sometime in the spring.