Ravens coach John Harbaugh, brother to Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, says 'Free the Big Ten'
One of the hottest topics in sports is Big Ten Conference football. Or rather, the lack of Big Ten football this fall due to the coronavirus.
Almost everyone has an opinion on whether the conference should play. Even the President of the United States. And now, people at the next level, i.e. professional football, are starting to chime in.
"Free the Big Ten, let's go, let's play some football," Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on Wednesday during his media availability.
"Let's get Michigan and Ohio State and all those great teams out there and play some football. Michigan has zero positive tests in August. They are doing a great job with their protocols. And those guys want to play."
Harbaugh, of course, is the brother of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, who has also been adamant on wanting to play as soon as possible.
"And for anyone that wants to opt out, they can," John Harbaugh continued. "Their families should have that choice, just like the Southeastern Conference gave the players and families ... that choice, and most of them decided to play."
Last month, less than a week after releasing a conference-only schedule, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren announced that all fall sports would be postponed in the conference due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Pac-12 later joined the Big Ten and will not play, but the three other Power Five conferences, the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, have soldiered on. The first FBS game was last weekend and several more are scheduled over the next few days.
Many Big Ten players and their families have tried to get Warren and the conference to reconsider the decision, but Warren has said it's not an option. Eight Nebraska players have even sued the Big Ten over the issue.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he and Warren talked about playing football immediately, which the conference later confirmed.
Several football teams in the conference, including Michigan State, had to stop practicing because of outbreaks within their programs. Iowa is on hiatus right now for that same reason.
Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.