SIAC announces suspension of sports for fall semester

Morehouse quarterback Jalen Brown (11) carries the ball during a game between Morehouse and Clark Atlanta at B.T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Morehouse defeated Clark Atlanta 40-39. (Photo/Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Rebecca Wright

Credit: Rebecca Wright

Morehouse quarterback Jalen Brown (11) carries the ball during a game between Morehouse and Clark Atlanta at B.T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Morehouse defeated Clark Atlanta 40-39. (Photo/Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced that it has suspended all intercollegiate sports activities for the rest of the calendar year.

“As of today, and as COVID-19 infections surge throughout the country in general and the southeastern region in particular, it would be difficult to fairly and responsibly conclude that meaningful progress has been made at this time,” the SIAC said in a statement released Thursday.

The conference suspended all activities in the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic that continues to halt most American sports activities. The PGA Tour and NASCAR have resumed events, without fans in attendance. The NBA, MLB, MLS and the WNBA are trying to resume play, also without fans in attendance. The NFL has provided no updates on the status of training camps, which are scheduled to begin later this month.

In its news release Thursday, the SIAC said that its “institutions are committed to assessing the possibility of moving some fall sports, including football, into the spring semester. Certain SIAC institutions may be accorded the latitude to continue to participate in intercollegiate athletics based on pre-existing commitments which may be unique to those particular colleges and universities,” but those schools would not compete for championships this fall.

The SIAC is a Division II conference based in Atlanta. Among its schools are Atlanta schools Morehouse and Clark Atlanta, along with Albany State, Fort Valley State and Savannah State elsewhere in Georgia. Morehouse announced last month that it would not play sports this fall.