AMHERST, MASS. (WHDH) - The University of Massachusetts — Amherst football season has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
Athletic Director Ryan Bamford made the announcement Tuesday after consulting with university, state and public health officials.
“The continuing challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic posed too great of a risk, and we reached the conclusion that attempting to play a season would not have placed the members of our program in the safest situation possible,” Bamford said.
Head coach Walt Bell added that, “I am absolutely heartbroken for our players, our former players, our alumni and our UMass Football community. Our job as coaches and mentors is to provide opportunities for our players, and do everything in our power to not take them away. Today’s news was devastating, but we will be resilient and prepared to be our best when our best is required.”
Football team members began returning to campus for team activities in late June with extensive health and safety protocols in place.
Over the past seven weeks, there has only been one positive test with more than 600 COVID-19 tests administered, according to UMass Athletics.
“I would like to give an unbelievable amount of gratitude to our medical professionals, our administration, our campus, our athletic training staff and our operations staff for creating one of the safest environments in college football,” Bell said. “The testing, the protocols, the risk mitigation, and the execution have been incredible.”
Football student-athletes will remain enrolled in coursework full-time, either virtually or in-person, in line with the University of Massachusetts’ update to its fall reopening plan, announced last Thursday.
Bamford says the athletic department hopes to conduct a competitive schedule for fall sports in the 2021 spring semester.
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