Weber State HC Jay Hill ‘Feels For The Players’ After Football Cancellation In The Fall

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State head football coach Jay Hill is disappointed in the Big Sky’s decision to cancel the football season in the fall.

But, Hill remains optimistic that a season will be played in the fall for the Wildcats.

The Weber State head coach released a video on Twitter with his reaction to the decision made by the conference.

“Well, obviously disappointed,” Hill said. “We thought and we still feel that this team has a chance to be really, really special. To have it come to an end is disappointing. I think there is some light at the end of the tunnel where we get to play with these guys come spring time. Obviously, that’s going to be figured out anytime soon. I just know what happened the last little bit, our administrators did a phenomenal job of fighting this until the bitter end. The reality of what’s going on geographically in different regions of our league, it just became impossible to play. I feel for the players. They had worked very hard since June especially to be able to be back in shape and ready to go for the season. I really feel for the players and just hope that we can come up with something meaningful for them.”

.@CoachJayHill on today’s announcement ⬇️#PurpleReign #WeAreWeber #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/rlswZ7MxWP

— Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) August 7, 2020

“The health and safety of our students is our top priority, and ultimately that concern guided our decision-making process over the past few months as we explored every option regarding the 2020 football season,” said Andy Feinstein, president of the University of Northern Colorado and chair of the Big Sky Presidents’ Council. “We recognize just how meaningful these opportunities are to the student-athletes, coaches, and staff throughout our conference, and empathize that they won’t be able to compete this fall for a Big Sky championship. We are eager to provide our football programs with that opportunity in the spring when it’s hopefully safer to be able to do so.”

Many Big Sky schools have had their upcoming football schedules altered due to decisions made by other conferences and schools because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Weber State’s opener against the Mountain West’s Wyoming has been postponed, according to ESPN.

Southern Utah’s second game of its original slate of games featured a matchup with Utah State and has also been postponed from the upcoming schedule.

According to a release from the conference, non-conference play is pending further review. The Big Sky is exploring a modified conference schedule to be played in the Spring.

“Big Sky institutions may continue with permissible athletics activities at their discretion while abiding by NCAA legislation, campus policies, and local and state regulations. Other Big Sky sports that compete in the fall will continue to be reviewed with a final determination made at a later date,” detailed the release.