Down to 28 healthy players, Div. III school cancels season

Not naming any names, but there might be some FBS teams -- even one of two Power Fives -- that might want to consider the same tack.

Be that as it may, Grinnell College, a Div. III football program in Iowa, announced Tuesday that it “has made the decision to withdraw the football team from competitive play for the rest of the season to protect the health and safety of its student-athletes.” The Pioneers began the 2019 campaign with 39 players on their roster but, because of various injuries, they are now down to 28 healthy bodies.

From the college’s release:

This decision is in line with the Athletic Department’s mission, which states that student-athletes benefit from an integrated, co-curricular experience that upholds the academic mission of the College as the department provides individualized and group instruction in a safe environment, celebrates academic excellence, and emphasizes experiential learning. The current state of the football team precludes the College from providing a safe environment.

Grinnell had lost the first three games of the season, and had lost those contests by a combined score of 114-3.

They had seven games remaining on their 2019 schedule. The college wrote that "[t]he seven remaining season games will be forfeited during the suspension, beginning with the Oct. 5 game against St. Norbert College.”