Illini Football To Suspend Spring Football Practices “until further notice”

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman released a media statement announcing the moratorium of spring football practices and all football recruiting activities.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois football program has placed an indefinite halt on spring practices and all recruiting practices.

In a media statement released Thursday morning, University of Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed what the school is calling “a moratorium” on all winter and spring sports activities including recruiting due to public health concerns over the COVID-19 epidemic.

Illinois head football coach Lovie Smith announced earlier Thursday via Twitter that his staff was canceling all on-campus recruiting visits.

The Illinois football program announced last month they were set to begin spring practices on March 23, with the first of 15 workouts slated to go until April 15. The annual Orange and Blue Spring Game was scheduled to be on April 18 at Memorial Stadium. According to Whitman’s statement, all of those upcoming events are being put in an immediate hold “until further notice.”

Illinois Fighting Illini athletic director Josh Whitman looks on during the fourth quarter of the 2019 game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium :: Michael Allio/USA TODAY Sports

Whitman’s statement reads as follows:

“These last 24 hours have been heartbreaking. I have such respect and appreciation for our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. I watch every day with admiration as they strengthen their bodies, their minds, and their relationships, all in the pursuit of excellence. There is so much work and sacrifice that occurs away from the eyes of the public, so much effort given so that they shine in those precious few moments each year when the lights come on, the cameras come into focus, and the stakes are high. Today, in what has been perhaps the most challenging day of my professional career, we took away those moments for a significant number of our student-athletes. I know they are devastated; I am as well. The hardest decisions require you to resolve inner conflict between what you value most and what you value at the moment. Like many of you, I enjoy nothing more than watching our young men and women compete in the orange and blue. What we value most, however, is our students. And at the end of the day, we must act in the best interests of their health and well-being – and, in this case, in the best interests of the health of our local, regional, and national communities as well. As much as I want our student-athletes to experience the joy of competition, feel the euphoria of victory, and learn from the despair of defeat, recent events are an important reminder that life is bigger than sports. Our focus remains on being healthy, contributing members of our many overlapping communities as we work collectively to address the challenges presented by this terrible virus. With the situation being so fluid and events happening so quickly, our plans are evolving. We will have multiple touch points with our student-athletes over the next 24 hours to discuss this decision and its ramifications, to hear their questions and concerns, and to provide comfort and closure as we begin to move forward. For the people most intimately involved in our programs, the wounds caused by the necessity of today’s decision will not heal overnight, but we are committed to growing closer together as an Illini family, supporting each other through these difficult moments, and emerging stronger on the other side.”