Sacramento State Opts Out Of 2021 Spring Football Season
Oct 15, 2020, 6:20 PM | Updated: 6:20 pm
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Head coach Troy Taylor said the school was concerned the short turnaround time would be too much of a health risk for the athletes.
Sacramento State will not participate in the 2021 spring football season, according to head coach Troy Taylor.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fall sports in several athletic conferences were shifted to the spring of 2021.
Per a release from Sacramento State athletics, the Hornets will not participate in the upcoming season due to health concerns. Taylor shared the following quotes in the released statement:
“After thoughtful deliberation we have determined that it is in the best interest of both our student-athletes and our football program to opt out of a possible spring football season,” Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor said. “Our concern regarding the effects of a short turnaround and recovery time from a spring season to a fall season, in our opinion, were too big of a health risk. Obviously, we are disappointed in not having a football season this year. But we are already striving and preparing for the 2021 fall season.”
“I agree with Coach (Taylor),” Sacramento State President Dr. Robert S. Nelsen said. “It is disappointing. COVID-19 has brought many disappointments, and we are sad. But postponing our fall season due to COVID, and opting out of spring due to the truncated season and the risks it could cause to our players’ wellbeing, are not the biggest disappointments brought on by the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from this disease. We want to play football, but we want – we need – to keep the Hornet family safe.”
Release from Sacramento State athletics
Per the release, Sacramento State will continue to prepare for the traditional 2021 fall season and will maintain scheduled practices and team activities throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
The Hornets enjoyed a successful 2019 season that saw them finish with a 9-4 record and a share of the Big Sky Conference Championship–the first championship in the school’s 24 years as a member of the conference.
