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Big 12 commissioner concerned full 2020 season won't get 'green light'

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While a number of high-profile head coaches have recently expressed optimism that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic won't impact the start of the 2020 college football campaign, the Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is a bit more concerned.

"We don't know when somebody is going to tell us it's going to be OK to go back to close contact (for the start of the season)," Bowlsby told ESPN's Heather Dinich. "I suspect that medical experts and scientists are going to be slow to give the green light on that. The magic start date is probably a mirage.

"It may be different in some high-density populations and areas than it is in more remote areas," he added. "It could be certain parts of the country and not other parts of the country. I don't think there's just going to be a day when we turn it all on again. There has to be a reacclimation period because athletes aren't training at the same level they had been accustomed to."

Bowlsby also said he's been in contact with the other Power 5 conference commissioners on a daily basis to plan out next steps.

"Virtually every program is highly reliant on football revenue," he said. "We're making lots of contingency plans, but if you don't get the anticipated number of games in, you lose the donations, you lose the sponsorships, you lose the gate receipts, and you lose the TV. It's potentially very impactful."

The commissioner recently implemented a 10% salary cut across the board in the conference office, including himself. He stated in March that the Big 12 was expected to receive roughly $10 million from the NCAA instead of an anticipated $24 million, due to the pandemic.

No timetable's yet to be determined for any decisions to be made regarding the upcoming campaign, Bowlsby concluded.

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