Dear Huskies,

As I write this, it's still difficult to process the fact that just a week ago I was on my way to Cleveland and the Mid-American Conference Basketball Tournament, where the Huskie men's basketball team had high hopes after earning a share of the 2020 MAC West Division title and a first-round tournament bye for the first time since 2006.

Today, all of us in this country and around the world are faced with a new situation as a result of the global pandemic – COVID-19 – that has altered daily life for us all, and tragically cost many lives.

It is critically important to remember that last fact, even as we deal with the heartbreak of cancelled tournaments and lost seasons, not to mention the suspension of games and elimination of events across the entire sports spectrum in this country.

One of the most tumultuous and stunning 48 hours in my professional career began with the first of multiple conference calls among MAC staff and athletic directors last Tuesday. That call resulted in the announcement that only family members, media and athletics staff would be admitted to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during MAC Tournament games.

By the next evening, four MAC women's basketball quarterfinals had been played under those conditions; more significantly, at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, the NBA suspended the remainder of its 2019-20 season.

That led to a series of meetings and conference calls among MAC and arena personnel and league athletic directors, beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday where issues like disinfection of common areas in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (an NBA arena), health and safety concerns, and operational questions about the impact of the COVID-19 virus on staff, students and the general public. The MAC was well-prepared with information from doctors, public health and government officials and scientists who relayed the seriousness of this virus.

The 8 a.m. meeting with athletic directors was followed by a 9 a.m. conference call that included presidents of each MAC institution. During that call, a series of options were discussed, among them, canceling the tournaments.  

By 10:15 a.m., myself and other MAC athletic directors who still had a team participating in the tournament – which by this time was eight men's teams and four women's teams – began to meet and connect with our coaches and student-athletes in the nearby Renaissance Hotel, where our team was called back in after breakfast. 

At this meeting, I briefed the team on the discussions being held by the MAC and school officials, along with the arena staff. I asked them about their concerns and, for the first time, told them that one of the options was to cancel the tournament. Our student-athletes – especially our seniors – were upset, some were angry and emotional. I couldn't blame them.
 
While they were aware of what the NBA had done and that one of its players had contracted COVID-19, I don't know that until that moment, they believed it would personally impact them in such a drastic way.

After meeting with their teams, the ADs reported back to the MAC Commissioner. Of course, the student-athletes wanted to play, that is their nature. We, as administrators, looked for a way to make it safe to continue. In the end, it could not happen, and you saw that as conference after conference – from large to small – came to the same conclusion. A few hours later, the NCAA followed suit, cancelling not just "March Madness" but all winter and spring sports championships.

Following Commissioner Steinbrecher's announcement and 12:15 p.m. press conference at the arena, the athletic directors and MAC staff regrouped to discuss the plan for our winter and spring seasons, along with the question about spring football practice. The news and projections we were hearing from health care professionals and experts in the field, was not good. Most, if not all, universities had eliminated in-person classes for at least the next several weeks, many campuses had completely closed for the semester. The general consensus was the situation would get worse before it would get better.

Just before 5 p.m. Central Time, the MAC announced that all league competitions and championships would be cancelled for the remainder of the semester, along with all organized practices and in person recruiting.

In addition to men's basketball, our gymnastics team lost its chance to defend its MAC Championship, four wrestlers who had qualified for the NCAA Championships would not realize that dream, and seven spring sports teams saw their seasons end abruptly. Those seven teams included 32 seniors among their 126 student-athletes. Many were called off the road where they were competing during the university's spring break. 

Throughout this time of uncertainty, our first priority has been the health and safety of our Huskie student-athletes. When they arrive on campus at NIU, their families turn them over to us and they become a part of our Huskie family. That has not and will not change whether they are in DeKalb with us, practicing or competing, back home or in another location. 

Our staff – from coaches to athletic trainers to sport administrators – is committed to supporting the physical and mental health of NIU student-athletes. We will continue to assist them while the university goes to remote learning and classes through access to tutors and academic advisors via phone, Facetime and email. We are doing this while following the recommendations of the federal, state and local health experts, as well as our own university guidelines.

Meanwhile, our coaches in all sports are adjusting to the end of their seasons and postseasons, the cancellation of spring practices (for fall sports) and to an unexpected dead period in recruiting. In case you did not hear, the NCAA followed the MAC and many conferences in ending all in-person recruiting for the time being. Our coaches are still able to phone, text, email and make contact while continuing to plan for next year and remaining in communication with their current student-athletes.

My fellow Huskies, we know this is a difficult period for you as well.  Whether you are simply missing out on following your favorite NIU sport or dealing with loss of revenue due to business closings, working from home, home-schooling your children or struggling to adjust to this "new normal" – we are right there with you.

We have pushed back the deadline for season ticket renewals to May 15 and will be turning our premiere fundraiser – the new "Victor E. Bash" originally scheduled for May – into a virtual (online) event that will be held in the coming months. With the cancellation of spring football workouts, the open spring practice scheduled for April 11 also will not be held. We will continue to adapt as needed to these ever-changing circumstances. Our staff remains available to answer your questions about season tickets, Huskie Athletic Fund donations, deadlines and more. Please feel free to reach out via email (huskieathleticfund@niu.edu) or phone (815-753-1923).   

Also, I hope you will be following our primary social media channels on Twitter (@NIUAthletics), Facebook (NIUHuskies) and Instagram (niuhuskies). Beginning next week, we will be celebrating #NIUSeniorDay with each of our 32 spring sports seniors highlighted throughout the next six weeks. You'll also see videos, photo galleries and opportunities to interact with us and your fellow Huskie fans!  At this challenging time, we hope you'll join us in bringing positive messaging into the world that so desperately needs it!  

Most of all we wish you, your friends and family members good health. Together – but separately (if you know what I mean as we all practice social distancing) – we will get through this unprecedented time.

All the Best,

 






Sean T. Frazier
Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics