The folks at East Mississippi Community College have made a decision to not participate in football for the 2020 season. The Lions were part of a Mississippi Association of Community College Conference that had moved football back to an October starting date in hopes that they would be able to play.

The Coronavirus pandemic has been a rough ride for community colleges, who don’t have the resources to adequately protect its players and staff. The Minnesota Conference was the first to make a decision when they opted to cancel the 2020 season in early July. The California system followed four days later and the NJCAA system made the same choice in mid-July. The last holdout was the Mississippi ranks, which were still holding out hope after moving back the schedule with the hopes of starting in October.

It appears that plan may be in serious jeopardy following the announcement by East Mississippi on Tuesday. More are expected to follow in the coming days.

“Player safety is of the utmost concern,” MACCC Commissioner Steve Martin said. “We understand the decision made by East Mississippi Community College and support their stance.”

According to the EMCC web site, EMCC will honor student athlete scholarships. Student athletes will remain enrolled in classes either virtually or in person as full-time students and will retain access to facilities and support services, ensuring that student athletes remain on track academically.