Credit: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports

You can probably guess why.

The University of Connecticut announced today that after a decision from their Department of Athletics, all football games for the duration of the 2020-2021 season have been indefinitely shelved. What’s the reason, you ask? Gee, I wonder. Here’s a hint: Starts with a C, ends with an -OVID. Give up? It’s COVID.

“After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we’ve decided that we will not compete on the gridiron this season,” UConn director of athletics David Benedict said. “The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”

Randy Edsall, head coach of the UConn Huskies, echoed Benedict’s sentiments after a discussion with the team. “We engaged and listened to the concerns of our football student-athletes and feel this is the best decision for their health, safety, and well-being,” Edsall said in the news release. “Our team is united in this approach and we will use this time to further player development within the program and gear ourselves to the 2021 season.”

Credit: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports

UConn has set the stage as the first Football Bowl Subdivision (or FBS) team to bow out of the 2020 season entirely. Officials have clarified that the move is entirely preventative, and that no athletes on the Huskies have tested positive for COVID-19.

“The necessary measures needed to mitigate risk of football student-athletes contracting the coronavirus are not conducive to delivering an optimal experience for our team,” Benedict said. “Ultimately, the student-athletes would rather preserve their year of eligibility with an eye to competing under more typical circumstances during the 2021 season.”

The players themselves also penned a statement on the matter, which was released to the public by the school. “As a team we are in full support of the decision to not compete in 2020. We have many health concerns and not enough is known about the potential long term effects of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, we have not had the optimal time to train mentally & physically to be properly prepared to compete this season. We love this game and love competing. We came to campus in the beginning of July knowing there would be challenges presented by the pandemic but it is apparent to us now that these challenges are impossible to overcome.”

No other sports under UConn’s banner have made public decisions on the upcoming season, though if they wanted to, they would need to consult with Big East beforehand.