The White House is offering its assistance to the Big Ten in an effort to preserve a fall football season.
President Donald Trump said he spoke with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren on Tuesday morning about the possibility of reinstating the conference's fall football season immediately. Trump called the conversation “very productive.”
Had a very productive conversation with Kevin Warren, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about immediately starting up Big Ten football. Would be good (great!) for everyone - Players, Fans, Country. On the one yard line!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
“I think it was very productive about getting Big Ten playing again, immediately,” Trump told Fox News. “Let's see what happens. He's a great guy, it's a great conference, tremendous teams, and we're pushing very hard.”
The main purpose of the call was to discuss the availability of testing, according to Lettermen Row's Austin Ward, who also reports the conversation was "very positive" and that a return before Thanksgiving now is on the table with the White House willing to distribute tests to the league.
Source with direct knowledge of the conversation described it as "very positive." Big Ten still has more meetings scheduled this week, but it was suggested the potential of a return before Thanksgiving now is on the table with the WH willing to distribute tests to the league.
— Austin Ward (@AWardSports) September 1, 2020
“I think they want to play and the fans want to see it and the players have a lot at stake including possibly playing in the NFL – you have a lot of great players in that conference,” Trump said. “So we had a very good conversation, very productive and maybe we'll be very nicely surprised. They had it closed up, and I think they'd like to see it open, along with a lot of other football that's being played right now.”
The Big Ten confirmed the call between Warren and Trump in a statement on Tuesday, also calling the conversation “productive.” The conference said its Return to Competition Task Force is “exhausting every resource to help student-athletes get back to playing the sports they love, at the appropriate time, in the safest and healthiest way possible.”
Statement from the Big Ten regarding the call with the President: pic.twitter.com/nIsTSNYhFg
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 1, 2020
Joe Biden's campaign provided a statement on Trump's call with Warren to the Toledo Blade.
Statement from the Biden campaign provided to The Blade regarding President Trump and Big Ten football: pic.twitter.com/KBQJCoYBCu
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) September 1, 2020
