No parents allowed at Penn State football’s Senior Day game after new Pa. COVID restrictions
Penn State will not host spectators at its athletic competitions starting Saturday, the university’s athletic department said Friday.
This announcement comes a day after Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced new COVID-19 mitigation efforts for Pennsylvania that include spectators being prohibited from attending professional and collegiate sporting events.
“As has been the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of our student-athletes and staff has been our top priority,” Penn State Athletics said in a statement. “We follow the state and university health guidelines, which continue to evolve based on the changing conditions. As such, we will not be permitted to host spectators at our athletic competitions beginning Saturday, Dec. 12.”
The Nittany Lions’ football team is scheduled to host Michigan State at noon Saturday for Senior Day. Prior to Friday’s announcement, only family members of coaches and players were allowed at games, per Big Ten rules.
Penn State had been planning for family members to be present for the annual pregame recognition of the team’s 12 seniors.
“We are extremely disappointed for our football seniors, their parents and their families,” the statement read. “They have been looking forward to their Senior Day and making arrangements to attend Saturday’s game, so this timing has proven difficult for all parties. However, we understand the gravity of the pandemic and know this decision was made with the health and safety of our communities at the forefront.”
The seniors being honored Saturday are: TE/H Trevor Baker, S Jaquan Brisker, CB Tariq Castro-Fields, OL Will Fries, K/P Carson Landis, WR Isaac Lutz, OL Michal Menet, DT Antonio Shelton, DE Shane Simmons, DE Shaka Toney, S Lamont Wade and WR Benjamin Wilson.
