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Big Ten Commissioner Needs To Deliver Ultimatum To Nebraska Leadership: Get In Line or Get Out

In order to salvage some credibility from what has been the worst first year for any leadership reign in college athletics, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren needs to set Nebraska straight soon.

Matthew Stevens

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- So, suffice to say COVID-19 has really done one hell of a number on Kevin Warren huh?

Since officially taking over as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference on Jan. 11, 2020, Warren has handed out a grand total of zero conference championship trophies, overseen the cancellation or postponement of his first three consecutive sports seasons (winter 2019-20, spring 2020 and fall 2020) and is the face of a league likely to see all of its members report what will be at least massive eight-figure financial losses.

If this were a 12-round championship fight between arguably one of the most powerful men in college sports and the world’s most destructive virus, Warren is Apollo Creed out cold on his feet and “Duke” Evers is screaming at the Rocky Balboa in all of us to “throw the damn towel!”.

Tuesday’s announcement that football, the revenue sport sun that everything else in the league’s world revolves around, would not be played in the fall and no definite plan, only a hope and prayer, is in place for a spring season wasn’t the final knockout blow. But the referee has informed Warren's corner that if this doesn’t turn around, he’s calling it.

However, a comeback is possible. Yes, Warren’s reputation as a leader can be saved and all it involves his response to one school.

How about we review how Warren got us here on August 11, 2020?

  • The Big Ten Conference’s head honcho and the rest of the Power Five Conference commissioners (three of which are still stubbornly deciding to drudge on with a desire to ignore a virus pandemic) seemed to have the same hope as everybody else that without proper leadership in government (national, state or local) the coronavirus would just go away as soon as it ran into the important stuff like college football in the fall.

That’s only a plan in the sense that Napoleon Bonaparte had a plan against Russian army in the War of 1812 - first we show up, then we see what happens. And with that “plan”, it's almost hard to believe his French military lost that battle and nearly 400,000 troops in the process.

  • Then, Big Ten campuses stretched out from Nebraska to New Jersey invited athletes back to college campuses and guess what happened? A good number of them tested positive for COVID-19.
  • After that news subsided, because Americans have the attention span of a backyard squirrel, you know what the Big Ten did next? Eliminated non-conference games and tried to convince the public it was safer for Illinois to get on a plane and fly to New Jersey this fall then to play Illinois State at home. I swear to everything holy, I'm still trying to wonder how and why some many folks bought that bridge to nowhere.
  • Then, in the first week of August, the Big Ten Conference leadership did what any normal governing body does, released a league-wide football schedule. Sure. Because when you still have no idea how you’re going to mandate league-wide testing standards, do proper contact tracing if a player tests positive after a game, answer questions about a potential heart problem resulting from a COVID-19 diagnosis or account for liability if a player dies, it’s critical to remember the most important thing to announce is when the Ohio State-Michigan game will be played.

I, you and all of God’s children will likely never get to answer why Warren did that schedule release on the early morning of Aug. 5 on Big Ten Network all with an uncomfortable look on his face like he’d eaten bad shellfish the previous evening.

  • Six days after that schedule was released and analyzed like it was the treasure map leading to the Ark of the Covenant, the 2020 fall football season was over. Done. Garbage. Gosh, Illinois fans, how ya feeling about that Thursday night primetime opener hosting Ohio State now?

You enjoy that journey down memory lane? Me neither.

However, as we live in the here and now, the Big Ten still has a lingering problem within its midst. After announcing the 2020 fall sports season would be postponed, one school acted like a spoiled child and proceeded to have a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. That child’s name is Nebraska, a 10-year-old member of the league who heard this news and effectively flew off its proverbial handle.

“We are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play,” a statement sponsored by Nebraska chancellor Ronnie Green, athletics director Bill Moos and head football coach Scott Frost read. “Safety comes first. Based on the conversations with our medical experts, we continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures, and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics. We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete."

All this statement needed was a little Comic Sans font and a "we're not postponed, you're postponed!" line in order to be nominated for the Dan Gilbert ‘Maybe We Should’ve Taken 24 Hours Before Responding’ Public Relations Award.

The following was Warren’s response Tuesday on Big Ten Network to Nebraska’s statement: “I know yesterday and these last whole couple of days were very, very emotional. We have some of the best coaches in all of college football and they are passionate. I know there were many statements that were made yesterday and that there were many interviews that were done. I just take some statements as a point of passion. I understand that.” Sixty-one words when all Warren needed was two. Bye Felicia.

When asked if Nebraska is allowed to just temporarily find a new conference to play football this fall, Warren told Big Ten Network host Dave Revsine “today wasn’t the appropriate day” to address that question. Maybe so, but tomorrow seems like a good time. I mean, what else does he have on his docket?

Warren needs to tell the leadership at the University of Nebraska they’re free to search for a Power Five Conference league that produces more revenue than the Big Ten. Go ahead, we’ll wait. Hint: That league doesn’t exist The Big Ten was No. 1. Then, Warren needs to remind Nebraska who provided them with an invite to a league 10 years ago when their athletics department was barely keeping its head above water and stuck in a Big 12 athletics revenue swamp dominated by whatever the University of Texas wanted. Finally, please remind Nebraska leadership that the Big Ten extended them an invitation despite all they brought to the table for its new conference television network was the 71st largest television market in the nation. Sure, because as we all know the Big Ten Network wasn’t going to be nearly complete without being able to be broadcasted throughout all of Omaha.

In short, Warren needs to tell Nebraska to literally get with the other programs or get to finding a new home to play in permanently. And I would politely suggest Warren do this quicker than he moved on practically everything else this summer. 

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Matthew Stevens
MATTHEW STEVENS

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