Washington: US President Donald Trump urged American college football to kick off on the same day two major football conferences announced they will be cancelling all fall sports as a precaution against the coronavirus.
Trump said that college football can be played safely while making a disputed claim that young athletes are less susceptible to the virus.
The crumbling college football season took a massive hit when the Big Ten and Pac-12, two of the most historic and powerful college sports conferences, succumbed to the pandemic and cancelled their fall football seasons on Tuesday.
Trump also warned players to stand for the national anthem, claiming that NBA ratings have dropped this season because of players kneeling as a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
NBA ratings did drop initially after the season restarted in the Florida bubble, but have since recovered.
The Southeastern Conference, which includes defending national college football champions Louisiana State University, still plans on having a football season and head coach Ed Orgeron told ESPN that any schools cancelling now are making a rash decision.
