While Lehigh and the Patriot League have yet to make an official decision on the status of fall sports, the situation is beginning to take shape for some nearby schools.
The Ivy League announced today that all fall sports will be canceled, with a chance that they could be played during the spring semester. However, no Ivy League teams will be able to compete in the 2020 calendar year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ivy League teams will be allowed to practice during the fall semester, provided that the practices are structured to fit both their school’s and state’s regulations.
Muhlenberg College and Moravian College announced on July 7 that they will not have a football season this fall, but it is possible for them to play in the spring instead.
Stanford University also announced that due to ongoing financial implications from the COVID-19 pandemic, the university will cut 11 of its varsity programs at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fordham University, a fellow Patriot League institution, announced on July 7 that they are cancelling the first three football games of their season against the University of Hawaii, Stony Brook University and Bryant University.
A Fordham spokesperson said the university will announce later this week if the football season will be canceled or moved to the spring, according to a July 8 ESPN article.
Lafayette football also canceled their game against Navy set for Sept. 12 due to COVID-19.
The Patriot League Council of Presidents announced multiple guidelines on June 22 for the resumption of fall sports but have yet to release an official decision on their viability. The Patriot League said games played against schools in other conferences will not start prior to Sept. 4, while Patriot League competition would not begin until the end of September. All Patriot League competition will finish before Thanksgiving.
The announcement stated that no teams will fly to competitions and that regular-season competition will not have overnight travel, with a few rare exceptions.
But as more schools and conferences announce the cancellation of fall sports, it remains unclear whether the Patriot League’s June 22 guidance will actually come to fruition — or whether they too will be forced to cancel fall sports.
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