Scott Van Pelt rips Big Ten: “Why not play in late September?”

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt had some pointed words directed at those holding power within the Big Ten conference. Van Pelt called out university presidents for allowing students on campus but shutting down the fall season, and questioned why the conference can’t start the football season in late September.

Here are SVP’s comments in which he calls some of their return to play ideas nonsense.

“Unfortunately lawsuits, parents writing letters, the President (Trump) tweeting aren’t gonna get us Big Ten football this fall, but maybe Thanksgiving. I can’t say this more clearly, this is nonsense. How the hell are you not playing the fall but start in November. Thanksgiving. While the season with teams who are gonna start in September is still going and it’s marching toward its playoffs. Just think it through, you can’t do that. ‘No, no, no, see, we’re playing for the Old Oaken Bucket, and Floyd of Rosedale, and Paul Bunyan’s axe’. Cool, have fun with the pig trophy, we’re playing for the championship trophy. You can’t start the season with the other one coming down to its most important games, you would be taunting yourself. Why not play in late September when everyone else does if you’re gonna try and start at Thanksgiving? I don’t think it would happen though because the presidents in the Big Ten who shot down the season in the first place would have to OK it. Meanwhile, if they couldn’t play if they’re worried about lawsuits how did you allow all these students to come back to campus and go to school? Ah, right, right, because you could charge them the full boat for the semester. That’s a fun trick.”