What does the Morehouse decision mean?

While most of the HBCU sports community was still wrapping their head around Bethune-Cookman's departure from the MEAC to the SWAC, and the MEAC press conference featuring Dr. Dennis Thomas and Howard University president Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick responding to questions about the survival of their conference, Morehouse College chose an eventful Friday morning to announce they were going to suspend their fall sports for the upcoming season. Football and Cross Country were the two sports impacted.

Talk about a Friday news dump.

It turns out that Morehouse would be the first HBCU, possibly the first school in NCAA Division I, II or III, to make such an announcement before the start of the new athletic calendar year. The decision to do so was surely not an easy one, nor was the letter written by President David Thomas, Ph.D.

Dr. Thomas cited a concern for the health and well-being of students, as well as the community, maintaining a safe campus while hosting spectators and visitors that may or may not have been tested or quarantined, and the challenges with teams maintaining social distancing guidelines from the CDC.

And while the cancellation of games and classics was the first impact of this new normal that athletic departments and communities are going to have to deal with this fall, Morehouse's decision may be the uncomfortable look into realistic questions of the future that every president, athletic director, coach, and alumni fears to ask.

I can't reasonably call the decision to suspend the season a bad decision. Any decision to play football this season is covered in "What if?" and long odds. The only guarantee to keep everyone safe is to not play at all. However, the risk that comes with the decision affects many people on different levels.

Here are some thoughts I don't hear being loudly discussed and debated:

1. How many other schools in the SIAC are looking at similar concerns as Morehouse?
Morehouse, which is sitting in a metropolis like Atlanta, has one of the largest endowments among HBCUs. They recently received a $40 million donation courtesy of the Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin, and the school of medicine was awarded a $40 million grant to address COVID-19 research affecting the African-American community. They shut down fall sports because of their concerns with managing safety of students and others, not primarily due to finances and resources. Those types of concerns must be weighing on the minds of other SIAC member schools in smaller cities with fewer financial resources..

The city of Atlanta where Morehouse and Clark-Atlanta University reside is 5-6 times the size of most cities that are home to the other member institutions of the SIAC. What type of message does it send to the leaders at schools in smaller cities when the “big city school” shuts down their season? It screams “Get out now, while you can.” Sounds like its better to be first off the train, than last off before it crashes.

It’s no secret finances and budgets will be a factor for more than a few HBCU and Division-II schools. While some schools lean on football to generate revenue and fundraising, Morehouse is not that school. In fact, Morehouse loses more money with football than they generate. It’s always been academics first. And when your priorities are clear, decisions like the one made Friday make it easier to be first off the train.

2. What is a Morehouse degree worth to the seniors and top players?
There is great value, prestige and honor in becoming a "Morehouse Man." And I'm sure that is one of the recruiting pitches made by head coach Rich Freeman when he makes an official visit to a young man's home, meets his family, or invites him to campus for an official visit. But, does every Morehouse athlete view that opportunity with the same value?

In his letter, Dr. Thomas stated that the school remained "committed to the principle that our athletes are first and foremost students. Each one was admitted [to Morehouse] with the expectation that he has the intellectual ability and commitment to finish his degree studies here."

And while that may be true, the timing of the announcement leaves athletes with the option to consider entering the NCAA transfer portal, possibly even receive a waiver, and play at another HBCU, FCS or maybe FBS school this fall that intends to play football.

What do you say to junior Demetrice Lofton, who was 2019 AFCA first-team All-American and 2019 first-team All-SIAC and Newcomer of the Year? Lofton (6-5, 235, DE) transferred from Georgia Southern after only playing 4 games his freshman year. As a sophomore he led the SIAC in tackles for loss with 21, which was 4th in the nation, and second in the conference in sacks with 11.5, which was also 4th nationally. He was a Defensive Player of the Week recipient twice.

Can a player with his talent afford to go an entire season with no game experience or tape? You're crazy if you don't think some college coaches are contacting his people through back channels to gauge his interest in leaving Morehouse and playing for them this fall.

And speaking of seniors, what impact will this lost season mean for running back Santo Dunn? Dunn (5-7, 185 from Miami, FL) took the league by surprise as a sophomore and was the 2018 SIAC Offensive Player of the Year rushing for just under 900 yards, 1430 all-purpose yards with 14 total touchdowns. Last year didn't produce similar numbers, but Dunn still went over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 7 TDs.

It's not unusual for players to graduate in three years, so maybe Dunn is closer to graduation than Lofton. But those are just two of the dynamic players on the Morehouse roster that have a tough decision to make in the upcoming weeks. I’m sure there are others wrestling with that decision as well.

3. Anyone else mourning the Tuskegee-Morehouse Football Classic streak ending?
Tuskegee University and Morehouse played in the longest running neutral site classic in Columbus, GA for the past 84 years. Think about all the world events that have taken place during those 84 years. No interruptions.

Known as the “Grand Daddy” of all classic, this game had been played at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus. Unfortunately, due to dwindling attendance, the game was rumored to be on the move to Birmingham, AL and played in Legion Field, site of the Magic City Classic. Then the global pandemic happened and all bets were off. Or at least plans were delayed.

In June, Birmingham’s Mayor delayed moving forward with the proposal as the realities of spending and social distancing restrictions for events as large as what this classic typically brings stared everyone in the face.

Looks like Birmingham is off the hook, and the 84-year game playing streak between these schools and programs will sadly come to an end.

Pop quiz: name the longest active classic between two teams? And, is it a neutral site classic/game?

4. The scheduling in the SIAC actually balances out the conference
Morehouse sits in the SIAC East division, which welcomed a 6th team last year when Savannah State rejoined the conference. The west division has five teams. The conference mandated that each team play six conference games - west teams played four divisional and two intra-divisional and east teams only had one game against the west count toward their six.

The unbalanced divisions last year meant some cross-division games against west division teams counted and others didn’t. The team with the best record in the East (Savannah State) only played teams in the East, but they were not eligible to play for the championship. However, their unbeaten division record could have affected the outcome of the east division representative into the SIAC Championship game. (Hope you’re not confused by all that.)

Without Morehouse on the schedule, the SIAC could create a more even 6-game conference schedule without any confusion. Or maybe play a 7 or 8-game conference schedule this year, so schools don’t have to worry about playing non-conference games. The NCAA reduced the minimum number of games to be eligible for the playoffs to seven games, as well as the maximum number of games that teams are allowed to play at 10. But in order to remain compliant with Title IX, schools must schedule at least 5 games.

So, if you’re going to play football this fall, better find a way to play at least seven games. Morehouse had planned to play eight SIAC schools this fall. So as long as Morehouse is not the only school to suspend their season, the impact to those minimum number of games should not be drastically affected.

But, if you’re thinking like me,they may not be the only SIAC school to pull up stakes this fall.

5. Will the NCAA grant an extra year of eligibility to these student-athletes?
The NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility to student-athletes playing spring sports that had their season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They could conclude their playing career at their university in Spring 2021, if they chose to do so. Great move by the NCAA. Logistics and financials of such a decision aside (note: I don’t think we’ve heard how this will affect scholarships and roster sizes since the NCAA made that decision), could something similar be established for fall sport student-athletes attending a school that suspends their season due to COVID-19 concerns?

That will be an interesting story to follow given that some schools in the Power 5, as well as other schools in Division-I/FBS are trying very hard to have a season this fall. We know that’s because of television and the money it brings conferences and schools. The same doesn’t hold true for FCS, Division-II and III where budgets are smaller and television revenues are smaller, if present at all.

If you don’t have an entire conference willing to suspend fall sports, will the NCAA support the competitive advantage that will come from the extra year of eligibility that will come to schools that chose to suspend fall sports against schools that chose to play.

July 1st marks the start of the new calendar and fiscal year for most universities and athletic programs. Over the next couple of weeks, we will hear and find out answers to my thoughts and questions.

Regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the decision, it’s a bold one. One that should be saluted. It’s just the type of decision we should expect from one of the premier institutions of higher learning where leading from the front may not be popular, but it’s mandatory if you’re in the business of leading and educating people.