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Joe Castiglione Clarifies Spring Game Cancellation, Leaves Door Open

Sooner athletic director says 'it's impossible to determine when or if the game will be rescheduled'

John E. Hoover

Joe Castiglione Clarifies Spring Game Cancellation, Leaves Door Open
Joe Castiglione Clarifies Spring Game Cancellation, Leaves Door Open /

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione on Thursday clarified his comments during a radio interview and actually left the door cracked for the Sooners to host a spring football game.

In a press release issued at 6:42 p.m., Castiglione said, “It’s impossible to determine right now when or if the game will be rescheduled.”

OU has canceled all other spring sports. Castiglione previously said Big 12 Conference athletic directors have been making decisions in regard to managing the Coronavirus outbreak in unison.

“We’ve been receiving a lot of questions about whether the spring game will b held on April 18, or even at all,” Castiglione said in the OU press release. “The fact of the matter is it would be virtually impossible to hold the game on the originally scheduled date since when we’re not sure when or if we’ll be able to return to practice.

“So in talking with coach (Lincoln) Riley, we feel at the very least it’s appropriate to announce that the game and associated activities will not occur on April 18. Given all the unknowns we’re facing, it’s impossible to determine right now when or if the game will be rescheduled. We will continue to communicate updates as information becomes available.”

Ticket sales for the spring game have been suspended. OU’s ticket office will contact ticket buyers to discuss options.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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