Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Boston College on Thursday became the first bowl-eligible team to announce it will not play in the postseason this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boston College athletic director Pat Kraft and head football coach Jeff Hafley said the decision was made as a team. Kraft and Hafley pointed to the sacrifices that players had to make throughout the season during the pandemic, saying they wanted student-athletes "to focus on finishing up the semester strong."
In addition, there were no guarantees that the bowl game Boston College would have been chosen to play in would happen as scheduled.
"Our student-athletes have sacrificed so much since June to even make this season possible for BC and our fans and now it is time for them to focus on finishing up the semester strong and going home to spend time with their families and loved ones," Kraft said in a statement.
Related
"Very few teams in the country handled playing in a pandemic better than our student-athletes have and I thank them for all of their hard work and sacrifice to make it through the season. While the team has decided to conclude its season, we have the utmost respect for our ACC bowl partners and we look forward to participating in the postseason again in 2021."
Since students returned to campus at the end of June, Boston College has administered more than 9,000 coronavirus tests. The school has reported only one positive within the football program in that span.
The Eagles end their season with a 6-5 record. Boston College's five ACC wins are its most since 2009.
