Langston U. cancels fall athletics due to COVID-19

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When it comes to college athletics, much of the national conversation has been focused on how the coronavirus pandemic is going to affect the schools in the Power Five Conferences. The weekly updates on COVID-19 testing for schools like Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama are quickly turned into barometers on whether there will be a football season this year or not.

However, other programs that are not in the limelight are having to make those tough decisions right now.

On Friday, Langston University announced it will not be participating in fall athletics in 2020 due to COVID-19 fears.

“My administration team along with head coaches of fall sports held a meeting with President Smith and our Emergency Leadership Team to discuss the path forward for Langston University Athletics,” said Langston’s Director of Athletics Donnita Rogers. “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to suspend athletics for the Fall 2020 semester due to safety concerns with the ongoing pandemic.”

Along with canceling the upcoming football season, the other sports that will be impacted include volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and cross country. That also means no band or cheer in 2020.

According to Rogers, it was not an easy decision. She understands how much this will affect the student-athletes who are unable to compete.

“We did not make this decision lightly, but know that it is in the best interest of our student-athletes,” Rogers said. “The health and safety of our student-athletes is truly our top priority. My staff and I stand by this decision and are ready to support our Lions.”

Rogers’ sentiments were echoed by Langston University President Kent Smith Jr.

“We have made the difficult decision that Langston University will not participate in collegiate athletics during the Fall 2020 season,” Smith said. “This decision was made in consultation with the Sooner Athletic Conference. We recognize the deep disappointment this will bring to our student-athletes and

Marching Pride members. This decision, though disappointing, was made in the best interest of our community to forego an on-campus homecoming experience.”

Langston is part of the NAIA and in the Sooner Athletic Conference. It is one of 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the nation.

Langston is not the first HBCU to announce it is canceling its football season. Morehouse University made the announcements in June that they would be unable to hold fall athletics.

“Like all of the decisions we’ve made related to COVID-19, this was a difficult one but was made with the health and well-being of our students and community in mind,” Morehouse President David Thomas said. “It follows my intention to maintain a safe campus in hopes that our students will be able to return in August. Our Maroon Tiger teams travel to other NCAA institutions and cannot compete without breaking from social distancing guidelines still maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sporting events also invite individuals to our campus who will not be subject to the testing and monitoring that we plan to implement for our students, faculty and staff. I know this news will be most disappointing to our scholar-athletes, especially our seniors. I can only ask for your understanding and respect for the fact that the College is prioritizing your health and safety ahead of all else.”

Morehouse is in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), which considering canceling the season as a whole. They would be the first conference to make that decision.

As many as eight colleges around the country have made the same decision. None of them were Power Five programs.

The colleges who have already canceled their season will not be the last. It will be hard for the ones outside the Power Five conferences to do the things needed to maintain a safe environment for student athletes. That constant testing of hundreds of men and women.

Langston is the only college program in Oklahoma to cancel its season so far.

“Our student athletes will still be allowed to participate in skill development sessions, strength and conditioning training and practices which encompass ten or less people and adhere to the recommended CDC guidelines,” Rogers said. “All athletic scholarship offers finalized as of July 2 will be honored for the Fall 2020 semester. My coaches and I met by conference call this morning and we are diligently focusing on ideas that will give our student athletes a dynamic experience with the hope that this aggressive measure will put us in the best position to resume sports in the spring.”