Purdue's Jeff Brohm Releases Detailed Plan for Spring Football amid Pandemic

Purdue football head coach Jeff Brohm has released a plan for spring football after the Big Ten conference postponed all fall sports Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposal features the start of training camp Jan. 16 followed by an eight-game season that runs from Feb. 27 to April 17. There are also plans for how to prepare for the 2021 season, which would also be delayed:

"When it got canceled, it was heartbreaking," Brohm told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. "You feel for guys that have worked their whole lives to get a chance to play football, and now they don't have that. It made me angry, and it made me want to just do something about it. That's why I put this together."

The plan also breaks down advantages of playing games in the spring, including the higher probability of having fans in the stands and added television buzz.

Brohm even compared the weather in each Big Ten city in March and November to showcase the viability of playing games, though it did not include coronavirus-related safety measures beyond reduced practices and contests as conferences around the country have continued to postpone or cancel fall sports.

"This isn't a perfect plan, but it will prove that it can be done if people are willing to make sacrifices," Brohm said."

The 49-year-old was a standout quarterback at Louisville and was going into his fourth season as head coach at Purdue. Combined with his three years at Western Kentucky, he has a 47-31 career record as a coach, with a 4-1 bowl record.

The Big Ten has not yet announced further plans for the postponed games, but noted in its release that it will "evaluate a number of options regarding these sports, including the possibility of competition in the spring."