Kevin Warren believes playing college football was the right decision amid the pandemicGETTY IMAGES
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren's first year on the job was "unlike any" ever seen in the conference, and while there were "trials by fire and fury ... he says he’s glad to have had them," according to a Q&A with Pat Forde of SI.com. Warren, the first Black commissioner of a Power Five conference, "endured the blowback that came from a postponed season, then a return to competition, then a perilous sprint through a seven-week season." He now is "here to see Big Ten representative Ohio State play Alabama" tonight for the national championship. Below are experts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: How would you characterize the journey from March 12, when you called off the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament, to here?
Warren: We’ve had to persevere. We needed agility, being nimble, persevering, and also being thoughtful. Our postponement of the season was a thoughtful decision. People can judge right or wrong, but it was a thoughtful decision. ... When I take a step back here on Jan. 9 ... we’re in a good place. If anyone is looking for perfection in 2020, it doesn’t exist.
Q: Was it a good idea to have played college football?
Warren: Yeah, it was the right thing to do. I feel better that we took our time. Us pausing the season was not easy -- the easy thing would have been to just go forward and kind of hope it worked out. We had the strength to pause and improve our testing methods and operations, and to really listen to our medical subcommittee and our leaders.
Q: What is your outlook for this year?
Warren: We’ve got to address Name, Image and Likeness. We’ve got to continue to promote diversity and inclusion on every level. In the Big Ten we’re going to launch a Big Ten Foundation to focus on the community. We want to expand our mental health and wellness initiatives for our athletes (SI.com, 1/10).
POSITIVE OUTLOOK: In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan wrote Warren was "everyone's favorite pinata" during a challenging year in college sports. Warren "became the target for those who oversimplified the decisionmaking process" that led to the Big Ten first deciding to postpone its football season, then deciding to restart it in late October. But Warren last week said that '20 was a "year of growth and comfort." He "split his work between his home in Edina, the family apartment on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, and the Big Ten offices in Chicago." Warren: "My faith is strong and I have a positive outlook on life. ... I look at situations like this as opportunities. I believe in healthy tension.'' He added, "As I look back over my 30-year work career, 2020 is one of the best years I've had not only professionally but personally." Warren: "I don't take personally any criticism I've received. Some things come with the territory" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/10). Warren said of '20, "The journey was, at times, complicated and challenging." He added, "The leadership lesson I have learned in a global pandemic is to be flexible, to be agile, to be nimble, to be thoughtful and to be on a perpetual quest to gather new information" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/10).
