FARGO — Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack seemed hesitant about the spring Missouri Valley Football Conference season when asked about it a couple of weeks ago. Sunday night, the Redbirds made a firm statement.
They’re out.
ISU announced on its football website that it was opting out of the three remaining games citing the health and safety of its players and to ensure the team is ready to play in the fall. The Redbirds have been hit particularly hard with injuries on the defensive line.
“I have wrestled with this decision for a couple weeks now, but I feel like it’s a necessary move to protect our player’s health and safety and their ability to be ready come this fall,” Spack said in a statement. “Injuries at key positions, especially on the defensive line where we suffered two more setbacks yesterday, have made it nearly impossible for us to play this week and extremely difficult for us to compete in the remaining four games. We appreciate all the support and hard work put in by so many in the ISU Athletics Department and on campus to get us to this point during these challenging times.”
Illinois State finished its spring season with a 26-18 win over Western Illinois on Saturday. Their shutdown means South Dakota State won’t host the Redbirds on Saturday.
ISU had home games remaining against North Dakota and Southern Illinois and a makeup road game at Missouri State.
