Paul Finebaum Takes a Shot at the Big Ten and Their 21-Day Protocol

The first Big Ten team has been hit with mutliple positive COVID-19 tests and the conference's protocols are being put to the test.  Saturday's Nebraska-Wisconsin game has been canceled and Wisconsin's season is now up in the air after multiple players have tested positive.

The reason the Badgers' season is in question is in large part due to the Big Ten's 21-day protocol.  Players who test positive must wait 21 days before they can return to the playing field.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum isn't a fan of the 21-day protocol and took a shot at the Big Ten for setting up the ridiculous protocols.

From The Spun:

“This is what the Big Ten wanted,” Finebaum said. “The Big Ten, remember, on August 11 said, ‘we’re done. We’re not playing football this year.’ And then they were forced back into it because they looked around and they saw Notre Dame playing and they saw everyone else playing, they saw it being successful. The presidents of the Big Ten decided, ‘okay, if you coaches want to come back – and we heard from Ryan Day and Scott Frost – we’re going to put some serious teeth into the protocol.’ You have an immunologist and an epidemiologist who are presidents in the Big Ten. And they put, what I think is, a ridiculous 21-day protocol.”

Finebaum doesn’t understand why the Big Ten requires players to sit out 21 days when the SEC and other conferences are going by a 10-14 day period.

“Everyone else in sports, it’s either 10-14 days. That’s the CDC guideline. They offered 21. So you’re playing an eight-game season, plus one at the end of the season with the championship game, and there are no bye weeks.”

Is the Big Ten going to fold again and make changes to their nutty protocols?  I wouldn't count on it.

Like Finebaum points out, the Big Ten doesn't want to be playing football right now.  The protocols are designed to ruin the season of a team that has positive tests.

Way to go Big Ten, leading by extremely soft and overly cautious example for absolutely no reason.