Nebraska screws up, says B1G football decision is today. Or not. (UPDATED)

PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM: I mean, like 10 seconds after I post this Ted Carter walked his comments back. I’m so sick of Nebraska right now.

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Nebraska president Ted Carter is a really interesting individual. I’m assuming that when you look holistically at his resume and career, he’s an accomplished fellow. He might be a swell guy to hang out with. But judged solely on how he’s handled himself during the Big Ten Football mess over the last month plus, he’s a buffoon.

Some of his greatest hits?

• He signed onto a statement with Scott Frost, AD Bill Moos, and UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green where they responded to Frost’s nonsense about playing outside the Big Ten with support instead of just knocking it down as the nonsense it was. In other words, they didn’t lead and let Frost’s talk of playing an independent football schedule stand unchallenged. The problem? You can’t do that and be a member of the Big Ten Conference. Even lazy observers like myself didn’t need the Big Ten to clarify that fact publicly to know it. You signed away all your media rights to get the Delany-bucks and that means the conference determines whether you play.
• Then he and the school walked their statement back and said “it’s all the media’s fault for recognizing we didn’t dispute Frost’s claims and then reporting our support to the world.”
• And now, he might have actually said something useful while being a fool:

During small talk prior to the start of a news conference Tuesday morning, University of Nebraska President Ted Carter says an announcement of the Husker football season will come Tuesday afternoon or evening.

“We’re getting ready to announce the Huskers and Big Ten football tonight”, said Carter in a conversation with Bob Hinson, director of the National Strategic Research Institute.

The two were at a podium, just moments prior to a news conference in Lincoln.

Bless your heart Ted Carter for not understanding how microphones work. At least this time your incompetence may have given the rest of us something of interest instead of a headache.

Should you believe it?

I have no idea. One would think so, but again, the source is a guy who has handled this process in about the dumbest way possible. A more sober on the record series of quotes has come recently from UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank

If you prefer to read cheeky tea leaves, then I give you this from the Minnesota Football Twitter account:

My prediction?

We hear something in the next 24 hours. My guess is the arrival of rapid testing will allow the conference to play because it resolves the first two of the three big concerns raised by the Big Ten when they canceled the season:

1. access to enough reliable tests that could be resulted quickly
2. the ability to contact trace positive test results across their student populations and more widely (if needed)
3. a significant concern about the unknown long term effects of a positive COVID diagnosis (particularly when it comes to cardiac health) even on young adults who may be asymptomatic

I’d expect if the conference votes to result playing that concern #3 will be addressed with why they’re concerned but willing to move forward.

So what are you going to say when you’re wrong?

Shrug and move on. However, do not expect me to spin it as a reason why I’ll ultimately be proven right. I’m not Sir Yacht.

UPDATE 12:15 PM CT

Go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done Ted.

Why? Ted Carter is now saying his words were taken out of context.

“All I said was there’s work going on,” he said. “I remain cautiously optimistic like everybody else we’ll get to discovering when it’s safe to play.”

No Ted, that’s not what you said. You gave a timeline. Is your inability to communicate the media’s fault again?

Also, here’s some bonus Ted Carter buffoonery: