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The Colonial Athletic Association - which Hofstra is a member of and Stony Brook participates in football - announced on Friday, July 17 that fall sports have been called off due to the virus.
The CAA said it plans to move forward with plans for winter and spring seasons, depending on the spread of COVID-19.
“The institutions of the CAA recognize that we compete in a conference made up of ten distinctive institutions that are located in eight states,” the Board of Directors wrote in a statement. “As one conference, we share a commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of our student-athletes, campuses, and communities.
The CAA plays at the FCS level, with 10 members in eight states. Those schools include James Madison, Albany, Villanova, New Hampshire, Towson, Maine, Elon, Richmond, Delaware, William & Mary, Stony Brook, and Rhode Island.
“As we each navigate this pandemic, we recognize that each of our 10w members must rely on local and state guidance, as well as medical expertise that may result in different decisions and different timelines for each institution,” the Board of Directors added.
Though fall sports have been canceled, CAA officials said that they will evaluate the possibility of playing a football season in the spring, though it’s unclear what a season would look like.
For the 2020-21 academic year, institutions will have the ability to manage practice activities for their football student-athletes in a manner that best meets institutional, federal, state, and local guidelines, as well as NCAA Rules.
"Although it was our hope to compete this fall, circumstances beyond our control have necessitated an alternate path," Stony Brook director of athletics Shawn Heilbron said. "I support the decision, and welcome the clarity that it provides to our student-athletes, coaches and staff.”
Rick Cole, Hofstra’s athletic director, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a “multitude of incredible challenges to our athletics program.”
“Each and every decision made during this time has been made with student-athlete, coach, and staff welfare, safety, and health at the forefront,” he stated. “While our fall sports teams will not be competing, we will continue to plan for the return of our athletic teams to their respective fields of play.
“Under the guidelines of CDC, local, state, and Hofstra University, we will pursue a safe return to sports when the situation dictates."
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