University of Minnesota board of regents chair Ken Powell said despite comments made by regent Michael Hsu on the Paul Finebaum show, the regents and university have made no decisions on the future of fall sports or in-person classes.
While on the Finebaum show Tuesday, Hsu was asked where he was in relation to school’s opening and the return of college football in the fall.
“I would say that based on what’s available to us today in terms of science and vaccine development, I think the odds are we are not gonna be back to school in the fall, in person,” Hsu said on the show. “And, that may mean that sports is also not gonna be happening, at least in the beginning. Now, I don’t know how they’re going to make a transition halfway through the fall semester and decide to have students on campus, but right now I think based on everything I’ve heard, it just doesn’t look likely.”
According to Powell, Hsu’s comments do not reflect the position of the board of regents or the university and do not reflect any conversations had by either bodies.
“While the board and university are planning for a variety of scenarios for fall classes, athletics and other events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, absolutely no decisions have been made about these issues,” Powell said. “The board’s decisions, and those of university president Joan Gabel, will be guided by advice and counsel from the Minnesota Department of Health, Gov. Tim Walz and the university’s own public health experts.”
Hsu also was asked why the NCAA is needed in today’s landscape, to which he responded by saying the NCAA was needed in 1906, but the current leadership is now struggling to keep the organization going. Hsu went on to say the NCAA is about money, power and control and that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Power 5 schools move away from the NCAA.
Powell reiterated those statements also do not reflect the position of the regents or the university.
“I want to be very clear,” Powell said. “There have been zero conversations among regents, the university or Gopher Athletics with respect to the University of Minnesota — much less any Power 5 institution — changing its relationship with the NCAA.”