With COVID-19 cases continuing to set record highs in the number of new daily infections, Langston University announced Friday that it is canceling all fall sports for 2020.
“Yesterday evening, my administration team along with head coaches of fall sports held a meeting with President Smith and our Emergency Leadership Team to discuss the path forward for Langston University Athletics,” said Donnita Rogers, the school’s athletic director in a statement. “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to suspend athletics for the Fall 2020 semester due to safety concerns with the ongoing pandemic.”
“We did not make this decision lightly, but know that it is in the best interest of our student-athletes. The health and safety of our student-athletes is truly our top priority. My staff and I stand by this decision and are ready to support our Lions.
Our student-athletes will still be allowed to participate in skill development sessions, strength and conditioning training and practices which encompass ten or less people and adhere to the recommended CDC guidelines. All athletic scholarship offers finalized as of July 2, 2020, will be honored for the Fall 2020 semester. My coaches and I met by conference call this morning and we are diligently focusing on ideas that will give our student-athletes a dynamic experience with the hope that this aggressive measure will put us in the best position to resume sports in the spring. I assure you, these Lions will be prepared to hunt again!”
Langston is the first public HBCU to cancel sports for the fall but is the latest addition of a growing list of HBCUs that have already announced the cancelation of fall sports for 2020, including Morehouse College in Georgia and Wiley College in Texas.
