STEPHENVILLE (WBAP/KLIF) – Tarleton State University announced on Monday that it has delayed its football season until the spring semester due to safety and scheduling concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The health and well-being of our student-athletes, as well as our fans, staff and all the students of Tarleton State University, has always been our top priority,” said Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman. “This is not an easy decision to make. There are a lot of people who want to see Tarleton take the field at the NCAA Division I level – I am one of them – but we have to prioritize the safety of everyone on our campus above all else. We’ve worked hard to keep our student-athletes safe as they returned to campus. As difficult a decision as this is, we feel like we need to wait to participate until there is a safe return protocol at the end of this pandemic.”
Tarleton joined NCAA Division I as a Football Championship Subdivision independent team when the university joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1. The WAC does not currently sponsor college football, leaving Tarleton as an independent.
Earlier this month the NCAA Board of Governors issued a set of requirements for competing in the fall. One of the requirements stated that 50% of playoff eligible teams must compete for there to be NCAA championships. As of Friday afternoon, it was reported that only 39.5% of FCS schools remained willing to compete in the fall.
“I want to thank everyone who has shown support for our student-athletes, coaches and staff during these trying months without athletics,” said Reisman. “I’ve waited 20 years for Tarleton to be Division I, now we’ll just tack on a couple more months. It’s been difficult, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m confident that we will get through this and 2021 will be the best season in the history of Tarleton State University.”
The Texans were scheduled to play 11 games in their inaugural Division I season, including seven games against other FCS programs. Season ticket holders will be contacted directly in the coming weeks from members of the Tarleton Athletics staff with regards to the season ticket protection policy.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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