ASU’s Edwards agrees with Pac-12 postponement: ‘It wasn’t an argument’
Aug 12, 2020, 10:03 AM | Updated: 3:06 pm
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Pac-12 announced on Tuesday that the 2020 football season will be postponed until at least the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the release of the Arizona State Sun Devils’ conference-only schedule that featured a matchup with the Arizona Wildcats for the Territorial Cup as the season opener.
“I think everyone is hanging in there. The wind came out of our sails a little bit yesterday with the announcement,” ASU head coach Herm Edwards told the Arizona Sports’ Doug & Wolf on Wednesday morning.
“But I think if you were well aware of what was going on, you felt that it might go this way — postponement. … Our players, were they upset? There’s no doubt about that. Coaching staff, everyone was upset. But I think we knew going into this when this virus first came about that the doctors would give us a game plan and we’ve always followed that.”
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Edwards complimented the medical professionals for the “bubble” they’ve created around the team.
But once the risk of myocarditis — inflammation of the heart usually caused by a viral infection — came to the forefront, the head coach said they ultimately could not go on.
“I’m always going to weigh with the medical people. I’m not a doctor, I’m a football coach,” Edwards said.
“I have a PhD in football. When it comes to medicine and what they have to do and how they study things, I’m not competing against that. I’m not going to say I know what’s best. I’m not a doctor. I stay in my lane.”
Not all college coaches are in agreement with their conference’s decision to postpone the 2020 football season.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost on Tuesday pushed for his school to play games outside of the Big Ten, which is the only other Power-5 conference to postpone its fall sports schedule thus far.
However, Edwards is in full agreement with the Pac-12’s decision.
“It was a 12-0 vote. It wasn’t even close,” Edwards said.
“It wasn’t an argument. It was this is what we’re going to do for the safety of everyone that’s involved in sports.”
