Penn State Football

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons won't be rejoining the team for the start of the Big Ten season next month.

Per Bob Flounders of PennLive.com, Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed Parsons wouldn't be with the team despite some hope that it could happen once the conference decided to hold a fall season. 

Parsons announced on Aug. 6 he was opting out of the 2020 season for safety reasons and to prepare for next year's NFL draft:

"As I considered all my options for the 2020 season, I decided I needed to make a choice, not for myself, but for my son and those dearest to me. While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we returned to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season."

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Parsons was expected to sign with agents Andre Odom and David Mulugheta of Athletes First. 

That was before the Big Ten voted on Aug. 11 to postpone fall sports, including football, because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

On Sept. 13, the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors reversed course by voting to play a conference-only football season that will begin on Oct. 24. 

Following the conference's announcement, ESPN's Tom Van Haaren reported Parsons was "thinking about" playing for the Nittany Lions. 

B/R's Matt Miller projected Parsons to go No. 6 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft in his most recent mock on Sept. 7. The 21-year-old was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten First Team selection in 2019. 

Penn State is ranked No. 10 in the current Associated Press Top 25 poll. It will open the season on Oct. 24 against Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. 

Penn State head coach James Franklin expressed his frustration with the Big Ten's lack of communication amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

During an appearance on ESPN Radio's Keyshawn, Zubin and JWill (h/t Sam Marsdale of 247Sports), Franklin spoke about the "challenge" of trying to answer questions for players and families when the conference isn't providing information:

"I think the big challenge as the head football coach is that your players and your parents think that you have all the answers to what's going on, but the reality is, we're dependent on the Big Ten to drive this thing forward. It's been challenging. It truly has. In terms of where we're at, I'm not really sure. I think that's part of the problem. To me, I've said this from the beginning, I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision. I got an issue with the process, and I got an issue with the timing. To be able to stand up in front of your team and parents and tell them that the season is canceled/postponed, but not have any answers as to how that affects their future and when we will be playing football and still haven't a month later. That's the hard part. It's been really, really challenging. I think a big part of leadership is to be able to deliver answers to people's questions and also to be able to drive people towards a vision and drive people towards a plan. Right now, we don't have those things." 

Since the Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 all fall sports would be postponed because of the pandemic, several teams and football coaches have spoken out against the decision. 

Franklin has been consistent in saying his issue has nothing to do with the postponement, but the lack of response from conference leaders. 

"I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision, but I have an issue with the process and I've got an issue with the timing," he told reporters on Aug. 19. "It was challenging to keep getting up in front of my team and getting up in front of my parents and not having answers to their questions."

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren issued an open letter to the Big Ten community to provide some insight on the decision: "The vote by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports and will not be revisited."

Warren also highlighted six primary factors as the reasons, including the "alarming rate" of transmission for the virus; concerns around contact tracing; and uncertainty about recovery and long-term ramifications of contracting the virus. 

There has been speculation the Big Ten would reconsider its stance regarding football, with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg noting this week that lawmakers from six states sent a letter to Warren asking to reconsider, but Warren's letter said the decision "will not be revisited."

Penn State University announced the halt of sports team activities after 48 student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19 from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.

"Based on these results and out of an abundance of caution, Penn State Athletics has paused team activities for several programs and initiated standard isolation and precautionary quarantine," the university said in a statement. "Contact tracing is being performed and there is no evidence to suggest COVID-19 was transmitted during practice or training activities."

The 48 positive tests represent a massive spike for Penn State, which saw only one positive test in the previous week's round of testing. The Nittany Lions have been testing athletes and staff at least once a week while the school conducts workouts amid the cancellation of the Big Ten's fall sports schedule.

"We expect our student-athletes to follow University requirements and guidelines for limiting the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing their hands regularly and not gathering in large groups," the statement said.

Penn State did not disclose which sports had positive tests, citing the privacy of the students. Those who tested positive will be quarantined at the university for at least 14 days. The school will use its contact-tracing system to trace the source of the outbreak and test anyone who has come in contact with students who tested positive.

Penn State has seen 59 positive tests among student-athletes since returning to campus this summer. 

Penn State and the school's director of athletic medicine, Wayne Sebastianelli, clarified Sebastianelli's previous comments that 30-35 percent of Big Ten athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 also had myocarditis, a condition that inflames the heart muscle and can potentially be fatal.

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN provided the clarification:

Per Parth Upadhyaya of the Centre Daily Times, Sebastianelli said the following Monday during a State College Area board of directors meeting:

"When we looked at our COVID-positive athletes, whether they were symptomatic or not, 30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles (are) inflamed. And we really just don't know what to do with it right now. It's still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten's decision to sort of put a hiatus on what's happening."

Studies have discovered a link between the coronavirus and myocarditis, per Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach of ESPN:

"A study published in July in JAMA Cardiology found that out of 100 adult patients in Germany who had recovered from the COVID-19 infection, 60 percent had findings of ongoing myocardial inflammation. A recent review of myocarditis listed with the National Center for Biotechnology Information cites some estimates that find 1 percent to 5 percent of all patients with acute viral infections may involve the myocardium, or the muscular tissue, of the heart."

Concerns over both the coronavirus and myocarditis led the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 to postpone their fall athletic seasons, including football. The NCAA also postponed all fall championships outside of football.

Sebastianelli said in his original remarks that the level of cardiac inflammation seen in the athletes tested was "alarming":

"You could have a very high-level athlete who's got a very superior VO2 max and cardiac output who gets infected with COVID and can drop his or her VO2 max and cardiac output just by 10 percent, and that could make them go from elite status to average status. We don't know that. We don't know how long that's going to last. What we have seen is when people have been studied with cardiac MRI scans—symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID infections—is a level of inflammation in cardiac muscle that just is alarming."

The University of Washington's Dr. Kim Harmon told reporters the Pac-12 has been working with Harvard on a study of the link between COVID-19 and myocarditis, the results of which are expected in about a month. 

Despite those studies and the conference's earlier decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten is reportedly considering an October start to the football season, per radio host Dan Patrick:

That report followed a phone call between Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and President Donald Trump on Tuesday in which Trump pushed for a return to play, ostensibly to help boost his support in swing states like Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin ahead of November's presidential election.

"I think it was very productive about getting Big Ten playing again, immediately," Trump told reporters. "Let's see what happens. [Warren is] a great guy; it's a great conference. Tremendous teams. We're pushing very hard."

Penn State head football coach James Franklin understands the Big Ten's decision to postpone fall sports, but he's frustrated by the conference's process.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Franklin explained his frustration with the way the Big Ten went about things.

"I don't necessarily have an issue with the decision, but I have an issue with the process, and I've got an issue with the timing. It was challenging to keep getting up in front of my team and getting up in front of my parents and not having answers to their questions," he said.

The Big Ten announced Aug. 11 it was postponing all fall sports because of the coronavirus pandemic and left open the possibility of shifting those sports to the spring.

Conference commissioner Kevin Warren said, "It became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall."

Six days before postponing the season, the Big Ten released a revised football schedule in which each team played 10 conference games running from Sept. 3 through Nov. 21. The Big Ten Championship Game was scheduled to take place Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Many people have expressed frustration in the wake of the Big Ten's decision.

Parents of football players from Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska and other schools recently sent Warren a letter asking for clarity on why the season was postponed, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

As well, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields started an online petition Sunday to ask the Big Ten to immediately reinstate the fall season. It has received more than 280,000 signatures.

Penn State head coach James Franklin reiterated his desire Tuesday to stage college football games this fall as the Big Ten considers canceling the season or postponing it until the spring.

Asked about a possible cancellation of the season, Franklin said on Get Up that the Nittany Lions will "exhaust every opportunity out there." He also mentioned one potential plan in the event football is pushed back until the spring:

Franklin issued a statement Monday night saying the Big Ten should "consider all possibilities to preserve college football this fall."

The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have already announced the cancellation of fall football with the possibility of picking up the season in the spring.

To account for the pandemic, the Big Ten adopted a conference-only scheduling format, rolling out the full schedule last week.

The Detroit Free Press' Orion Sang, David Jesse, Chris Solari and Chris Thomas reported Monday the conference was going even further and planning to scrap the fall season entirely.

According to ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach, at least five athletes from the Big Ten have developed myocarditis, a heart condition linked to COVID-19. Administrators from across the Power Five conferences have been weighing the health risks athletes would face by carrying on with football this fall.

Were the Big Ten to announce a postponement or cancellation, it might see some of its member schools temporarily leave the conference in order to play. Franklin's comments come after Nebraska head coach Scott Frost and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day alluded to potential moves away from the Big Ten.

However, according to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, that might not be a viable solution.

Television rights are almost all tied to conferences rather than individual programs. If Nebraska or Ohio State leaves the Big Ten, it would create major logistical issues in terms of broadcasting games and distributing revenue.

Absent setting up a "bubble" location to play in—which could open the door for dismantling amateurism in the NCAA altogether—focusing on the details necessary for a spring season might be the most realistic option on the table for Big Ten schools.

Penn State head coach James Franklin issued a statement calling for the Big Ten to "consider all possibilities to preserve college football this fall."

Franklin said he'd be willing to accept a delay to the start of the regular season to "seek clarity, build the safest environment for our guys & make the best decision!"

His comments come as the fate of a fall football season looks to be in question amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Detroit Free Press Orion Sang, David Jesse, Chris Solari and Chris Thomas reported the Big Ten is planning to cancel the season with the potential for resuming football in the spring.

Franklin didn't go so far as some of his colleagues did to imply Penn State might consider playing for a different conference if the Big Ten took football off the table in 2020.

The big question seems to be whether the NCAA and its member schools would be willing to jeopardize the long-term viability of the amateurism model by staging a 2020 college football season.

The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West both postponed sports through the fall, and they may not be the last to take that step.

The Power Five conferences have all altered their schedules to account for the pandemic, though, either eliminating nonconference games altogether or allowing their schools to stage games out of the conference.

By setting up designated bubbles, Power Five officials could closely monitor players and coaches while limiting their access to the outside world. While not ideal, multiple leagues in the United States have shown the approach can work to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

That would seemingly be an admission that college athletes are a special class relative to their peers, however, thus potentially opening the floodgates.

Fans want to see football, and at least some players want to play as long as administrators put the necessary health and safety protocols into place.

The ball appears to be in the court of conference power brokers.

It's now official: Micah Parsons will not play for Penn State during the 2020 season.

The All-American linebacker and projected first-round pick will sit out the season and prepare for the 2021 NFL draft, he announced Thursday.

"While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we returned to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season," Parsons said in a video for PennLive. 

Parsons said he "100 percent" would have returned to Penn State if it weren't for the pandemic. 

"It was the hardest decision I ever had to make," he said. "It left me lost a lot of days, where I just couldn't make a decision what I wanted to do."

Parsons said he consulted with LaVar Arrington and defensive coordinator Brent Pry the most when making his decision, which became easier when teammates said they would support him either way. 

"When you have a son, your whole world changes—a kid in general, son or a girl. I really thought about him because, as I was growing up, I never really had much. And now I have this great opportunity to work hard and me to really give him the life that I never had. It's just so hard for me to pass it up. ... Now I'm in a great position to expand my son's life and give him the education, the life I never received growing up."

Parsons recorded 109 tackles and five sacks in 2019, earning Big Ten Linebacker of the Year honors, along with first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selections. Pro Football Focus ranks Parsons as the fifth-best player in the 2021 class, and he's a borderline lock to be a top-10 selection in next year's draft.

While Penn State's defense will undoubtedly be hurt by Parsons' absence, he had little incentive to play in the 2020 season given the ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. It's unlikely his draft stock will rise any higher than it is now.

Don't be surprised if several other top prospects follow in Parsons' footsteps. 

Penn State University plans to hold all fall sporting events without fans, according to an email sent to season ticket holders by the school's vice president for intercollegiate athletics, Sandy Barbour.

Per Greg Pickel of PennLive, she wrote: 

"As of today, the current large group gatherings guidance from the Governor's office limits capacity to 250 people for outside events and 25 people for inside events.

"Therefore, under the current conditions and current state orders, our fall sports events would be conducted without fans in the general seating areas of our facilities. We continue to work with the Governor's office to discuss, and possibly be prepared for the opportunity to have spectators at our fall Penn State sporting events."

Barbour added Penn State's games could open to fans later in the fall sports calendar. However, that would require the loosening of recommendations on large group gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which is not expected anytime soon.

Penn State's athletic department expects to lose eight or nine figures in revenue from the fallout of the pandemic, Barbour wrote. 

Season ticket holders were given the option of rolling over their tickets to 2021, taking a full refund or making a tax-deductible donation to the Nittany Lion Club's Levi Lamb Fund.

Penn State is slated to open its 2020 football season Sept. 5 against Northwestern. 

One of college football's brightest stars is reportedly opting out of the 2020 college football season.

Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons, whom some analysts consider as a top-10 2021 NFL draft prospect, will not be playing for the Nittany Lions this year, per Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports:

"Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is expected to opt out of the 2020 college football season and declare for the 2021 NFL draft, sources told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday night.

"Parsons is expected to make the decision official Wednesday morning. Penn State had a team meeting Tuesday night, and multiple people close to the program are expecting him to leave barring a last-minute change of heart."

Parsons was a consensus All-American last year with 109 tackles, five sacks, five pass deflections and four forced fumbles during his true sophomore season. Penn State finished 11-2 overall and ended the year with a Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranked Parsons sixth on his early 2021 NFL draft big board.

Pro Football Focus notably has the off-ball linebacker ranked as its top defender in the 2021 draft prospect class.

Parsons isn't the only college football star to have opted out of playing, as Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman did so as well.

Amid his announcement, the All-Big Ten first-teamer and AP Third Team All-America member also declared for the 2021 NFL draft. Parsons hasn't declared for the 2021 NFL draft or announced his intentions officially as of yet.

Penn State will now have to figure out a backup plan in lieu of losing Parsons. Charlie Katshir was listed as Parsons' backup on the spring depth chart, per Will Pegler of Onward State.

Katshir, who is entering his redshirt sophomore season, appeared in all 12 games and amassed five tackles and a forced fumble in limited action.

The Nittany Lions' season is scheduled to begin Sept. 5 against Northwestern to kick off an adjusted conference-only slate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.