Over the past few weeks, the University of Nebraska made headlines after its football head coach, Scott Frost, voiced his opposition to the Big Ten’s decision to cancel its season. The Power 5 conference made the announcement on August 11 and, at the time, Coach Frost was one of few coaches to openly voice their disapproval. Some media analysts had speculated that the Husker’s head coach was only expressing his opinion, but fans have learned that Coach Frost had the backing of the school's administration.
President Carter opposed the Big Ten’s decision
According to 247Sports, Nebraska was among the three teams that voted against the Big Ten’s decision to postpone its season. The team’s president, Ted Carter, opposed the decision, citing the negative economic impact that the Huskers would suffer if the Big Ten failed to hold a season in the fall. In addition to Nebraska, the University of Iowa and Ohio State opposed the move, but they were overruled after the remaining 11 teams in the conference voted in favor of postponing all sports until the spring. However, eight Huskers’ football players recently moved to court to reverse the decision.
Nebraska players move to court
The players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten Conference seeking to invalidate its decision to cancel the season.
The eight athletes accused the conference of failing to follow its governing documents when it made the pronouncement in August. The Huskers’ players have alleged that the Big Ten did not hold a formal vote to cancel its season. In addition to demanding a reversal, the players have stated that they will seek damages from the Power 5 conference due to the impact the decision could have on their chances of making it to the NFL.
The University of Nebraska has not commented on the matter, and it is unclear whether the players have the school’s support.
However, the Big Ten’s commissioner, Kevin Warren, has insisted that the conference will not revisit its verdict. Commissioner Warren has insisted that every team president had an opportunity to vote before the conference concluded that it would not hold a sports season in 2020.
The Big Ten claims it made the decision after considering the advice from top medical experts, who warned that it would be impossible to hold a successful season due to the coronavirus pandemic. It appears that the Nebraska football team is still determined to play, and the school could be on a collision course with other teams in the Big Ten. Coach Frost had earlier hinted that the Huskers would consider playing teams outside its conference, but analysts feel that the team will not go through with the threat. However, the Husker’s players could pull off an unlikely upset if they convince the courts to overturn the Big Ten’s pronouncement.