UMass Football Coach Walt Bell: Sports Cancellation Tougher Than Parents' Death

Walt Bell, head football coach at the University of Massachusetts, isn't handling the school's decision to cancel the 2020 season very well. 

While speaking with reporters Tuesday night, Bell compared the cancellation to the death of his parents, per The Athletic's Steve Buckley.

"I'll tell you guys the same way I told my players," he said. "You know, my dad passed away in 2008, my biological mom OD'd in 2012. And to be honest with you, this is probably a tougher day than both of those days."

Massachusetts athletic director Ryan Bamford announced Tuesday that the school "made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 UMass football season" after consulting with university, state and local health officials. 

Bell said it was a "devastating deal" having to look a group of "18-to-21-year-old kids in the face and tell them that their dreams aren't gonna come true."

The UMass football program operates as an independent, which made it increasingly difficult to schedule opponents as most conferences adjusted their schedules to include conference-only games. 

A number of conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac-12, have announced this week they have either postponed or canceled fall sports due to health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Bell was entering his second season as the Minutemen head coach. He went 1-11 in his first year with the program in 2019.