The football team at the University of Michigan won't play this season if students don't take classes on campus this fall, reports The Wall Street Journal.
“If there is no on-campus instruction then there won’t be intercollegiate athletics, at least for Michigan,” University president Mark Schlissel told the Journal.
Schlissel also said the team would likely play at a smaller arena than the 107,601-seat Michigan Stadium where games are normally held.
“I can’t imagine a way to do that safely,” Schlissel, an immunologist by training, told the Journal.
The university president said he expects to decide on whether to hold classes on campus this fall in the next few weeks. He added that the decision will likely apply for the entire academic year.
“What’s going to be different in January?” Schlissel said, referring to public health concerns that things could be even worse when flu season ramps up in the winter months.
Schlissel said he wanted to avoid setting "false expectations,” saying other schools have promised to reopen in the fall without approval from local officials.
“They’re really not as declarative as they appear,” he told the Journal.
More than 54,000 people in Michigan have been infected with coronavirus, and 5,000-plus have died.
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