After the Big Ten disclosed its 11-3 vote to postpone the 2020 campaign, United States President Donald Trump said he had a "productive conversation" with the conference's commissioner, Kevin Warren, regarding the fall season.
Had a very productive conversation with Kevin Warren, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about immediately starting up Big Ten football. Would be good (great!) for everyone - Players, Fans, Country. On the one yard line!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
"I think it was very productive about getting (the) Big Ten playing again and immediately," Trump said, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Adam Rittenberg. "Let's see what happens. (Warren is) a great guy. It's a great conference, tremendous teams. We're pushing very hard ... I think they want to play, and the fans want to see it, and the players have a lot at stake, including possibly playing in the NFL."
He added: "We had a very good conversation, very productive, and maybe we'll be very nicely surprised. They had it closed up, and I think they'd like to see it open, along with a lot of other football that's being played right now."
Trump, who's been campaigning ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, has stated on multiple occasions that he wants a full 2020 college football campaign.
The Big Ten called off the fall season in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic, though the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 will attempt to play.
Despite the president's desires and pushback from a handful of coaches and athletes, Warren cannot act unilaterally in any future decisions, according to The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach.
"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," the league said in a statement obtained by Rittenberg.
The Big Ten's Return to Play Task Force is considering several potential plans, with the earliest start in late November or early January, or later next spring, sources told Schlabach and Rittenberg.
