The ACC has decided that it's just not yet ready for sports yet. In the wake of Tuesday morning's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, ACC officials postponed all athletic events through Saturday. Virginia Director of Athletics Criag Littlepage also announced that Virginia's football game against Penn State, originally scheduled for this evening, has been rescheduled for Dec. 1.
"This decision is an indication to our students, our fans and the public that there are, indeed, more important things than a game," Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage said in a press release. "We are applying a consistent practice, so all of our other sports will also postpone their competitions this weekend. The coaches in each sport will work with their opponents to reschedule those contests."
Virginia football coach Al Groh said the suspension of games will allow players, coaches and fans to concentrate on coping with the aftermath of Tuesday's attacks.
"We are all on 'Team USA' and right now the focus of our attention is on our fallen teammates and the game plan of how to win the battle against the evil of terrorism," Groh said in a press release.
Decisions regarding games after Saturday will be individually addressed by each of the nine ACC schools. Virginia already has decided to join Duke and N.C. State in postponing all its games through Sunday. In all, six games, one tournament and a cross country meet involving Virginia teams will be postponed. Aside from the football game, the new dates for the postponed games have yet to be determined.
"Every school will be impacted at a different level," Littlepage said in a teleconference yesterday. "The conference tried to provide some guidance and be supportive of the opinions and needs of each institution."
Littlepage has been in continuous contact with PSU Athletics Director Tim Curley since the terrorist attacks took place. They immediately ruled out playing the game Thursday and later crossed out Saturday as a possibility.
"When you think about the impact of [Tuesday's] events and what we experienced as a nation, playing a football game Thursday - or even this weekend - was not an option," Littlepage said in a press release. "Penn State University and the University of Virginia are in agreement that Saturday, Dec. 1, is the best time to play the game."
There are some minor logistical concerns for Virginia regarding a Dec. 1 football game. The Virginia men's basketball team has a game scheduled against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. that night at University Hall. Littlepage said he will try to schedule the game for an early afternoon time slot to avoid conflicts.
"Having a two-week break between the last game and the Dec. 1 game was also a concern," he said in a teleconference yesterday. "We'll have to keep the team at a level of continuity in terms of practice and what not."
There is not yet word as to whether the rescheduled game would be nationally televised on ESPN.
"We don't have the flexibility of adapting to someone else's timetable," Littlepage said in a teleconference yesterday.
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