All fall varsity athletic events for the University of Rhode Island have been suspended because of continuing concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The University’s announcement follows actions taken earlier this afternoon by the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association.
Rhode Island is a full member of the Atlantic 10 for 17 of its 18 varsity sports. The exception is football, as the Rams are an associate member of CAA Football. Both leagues officially stated Friday that the intent was to conduct conference competition for fall sports during the spring of 2021, providing it would be safe to do so as the COVID-19 situation evolves. Though competitions are canceled, fall sport teams will be able to practice and work out this semester in accordance with safety protocols.
While the focus will be to shift fall schedules to the spring, the Atlantic 10 retained the option to reassess in early September. Conference and institutional leaders have agreed to consider a potentially truncated competitive schedule among conference opponents if the COVID-19 risk has substantially been reduced. The reinstatement of conference competitions would require medical and institutional protocols to ensure the safety of student-athletes, staff and the campus community. If COVID-19 risk levels do not improve, the teams and student-athletes will continue training and practicing while attending classes to prepare for competitive schedules in spring 2021.
The postponed Atlantic 10 sports in the fall season for Rhode Island are men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, and volleyball. The fall competitive schedules for men’s golf, women’s tennis, women’s swimming and diving, and women’s rowing will also be postponed, as will non-traditional competition seasons for baseball and softball.
CAA Football Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said the conference’s Board of Directors voted to suspend conference competition in the fall of 2020. The conference expressed a strong commitment to exploring the possibility of conducting a football season during the spring of 2021, and will continue to analyze this scenario as more information becomes available and conditions continue to evolve.
Because of the uniqueness of CAA Football’s composition (12 institutions that compete in other sports in four Division I conferences), the geographical expansion of the Conference membership, and the complexity of an ever-changing situation, the league’s Board of Directors affirmed that the Conference’s policies would permit member institutions the ability to explore the option of playing an independent football schedule in the fall of 2020. Rhode Island will not exercise this option.
Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn acknowledged the difficulty faced by both conferences in making Friday’s announcements.
“The decision to not compete this fall is painful, but it is the right decision,” Bjorn said. “Our primary responsibility is to act in the best interests of the health and well-being of all our student-athletes, and our wider community. We want to provide the best possible experience during their time here, and that must be done in a responsible manner. We also want our wonderful fans and supporters to remain safe and healthy, including those from the broader student community, faculty and staff.”
The Friday announcements do not affect winter sports. While the Atlantic 10 will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, no changes to the structure of winter sports — with the exception of swimming and diving — have been made at this time. For Rhode Island, the winter sports are men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field.
The Atlantic 10 and CAA Football will continue to develop plans for the suspended fall seasons. Details for the 2021 fall/spring conference schedules will be announced at a later date.