John Harbaugh has his brother’s back when it comes to the Big Ten’s football season, which is currently postponed.
The Big Ten is one of two Power-5 conferences that won’t be kicking off next weekend and the decision has been met with mixed reviews.
Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan football program has handled the current situation well, not having any positive COVID-19 tests for the month of August. Harbaugh was disappointed with the conference’s decision to postpone the season but hasn’t let that stop him and his team from making the best of the situation.
The Wolverines are still practicing as though there will be a game each weekend and perhaps this is going to work out well for them, as recent reports have stated that the conference could be moving up the season opener to as early as October.
John Harbaugh says if Big Ten players want to play, then let them play
Jim’s brother, John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, is yet another person who wants to see the Big Ten play football. Speaking at the end of a Zoom press conference, Harbaugh said, “Free the Big 10. Let’s go. Let’s go play some football. Michigan had 0 positive tests in August. Those guys want to play and for anybody who wants to opt-out, they can.”
He clearly has his brother’s back and applauds his Michigan football team for how they’ve handled themselves during all of this.
Late in his Zoom call, John Harbaugh uses the opportunity to say, "Free the Big 10. Let's go. Let's go play some football. Michigan had 0 positive tests in August. Those guys want to play and for anybody who wants to opt out, they can."
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 2, 2020
Harbaugh mentions that the program had zero positive COVID tests and that the players want to take the field. He also noted that if players don’t feel comfortable playing, then they can opt-out of the season to ensure their safety.
This has been a common refrain from players, coaches, parents of players, fans and even President Trump.
If the athletes are wanting to play and it’s deemed safe enough to play, the Big Ten might end up having a season around Thanksgiving.