ATHENS — Any remaining hopes — however so slight — for a delayed “spring” football game at Georgia were dashed on Tuesday.

 

The SEC said in an expanded statement there would also be no “Pro Day” workouts held on campuses.

“This is a difficult day for all of us, and I am especially disappointed for our student-athletes,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in the league statement. “The health and well-being of our entire conference community is an ongoing priority for the SEC as we continue to monitor developments and information about the COVID-19 virus.”

UGA athletic director Greg McGarity told DawgNation on Tuesday afternoon the decisions to go online classes only for the rest of the semester eliminated sports activity on campuses.

“This is SEC-wide,” McGarity said. “No one is going to have any sort any competitive advantage.”

McGarity said it would be “irresponsible” to speculate on a return to on-campus classes and sports activity at this time.

OnlineAthens.com broke the news earlier on Tuesday that UGA was suspending “all activity on campus” the remainder of the spring semester.

The ACC had also announced earlier in the day it was cancelling all spring semester sports activities.

The changes are related to suggested guidelines issued by the White House on Monday intended to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

The newest recommendations are that people avoid gathering in groups of more than 10, and that people stay away from bars, restaurants and food courts and avoid travel if possible.

At the time of this writing (March 17), there are 4,226 cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 75 deaths, per the CDC.

The AJC.com, which compiles active case data, reports 146 cases in Georgia, including three in Clarke County, which is home to UGA.

The SEC had announced last Friday a suspension of spring sports activities though at least April 15, at which time there would be a re-assessment.

McGarity told DawgNation on Sunday night that UGA was effectively shutting down its campus through the next two weeks, and he suggested it would be a minimum of several weeks before any sports activities.

The University of Georgia and Kirby Smart released a video on Monday related to the coronavirus global pandemic, and the future of the Bulldogs’ program in this time of uncertainty.

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