College Football

Big Ten's Warren Meets with President Trump

Updated Sep. 1, 2020 7:27 p.m. ET

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren had a telephone call with President Donald Trump on Tuesday regarding how the Big Ten can attempt to play a fall football season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House reached out to Commissioner Warren's office on Monday, and on Tuesday, the conference released a statement regarding its discussions with President Trump and Big Ten athletic departments on when fall sports can get underway.

“The Big Ten Conference and its Return to Competition Task Force, on behalf of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, are exhausting every resource to help student-athletes get back to playing the sports they love at the appropriate time in the safest and healthiest way possible."

In recent weeks, President Trump has been vocal about his preference that the Big Ten play football in the fall amid the pandemic.

A primary concern for the conference is adequate testing once teams return to play and the overall unknown impact of coronavirus on student-athletes.

Last week, several outlets reported that Big Ten officials were working on revised plans to return to play before the end of the year or at the top of the year, and one plan included kicking the season off in November.

However, as of Tuesday, there were reports of a projected Oct. 10 start date for the conference.

There has been no official word from the league or Commissioner Warren.

The Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 the decision to postpone all fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with hopes of playing in the spring.

Since the decision came down, the Big Ten has received continued pressure from student-athletes and parents to play football in the fall.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields was one of the first Big Ten athletes to speak out, creating an online petition to try to reverse the league's decision.

On Aug. 29, Big Ten parents gathered outside the conference's headquarters, seeking answers about the league's decision to postpone the fall football, and this past week, a group of Nebraska players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten, seeking a reversal of its Aug. 11 decision.

As of Tuesday, no formal plan to return to the field has been presented to university presidents and chancellors for their approval.