WIAA official: No decision on fall sports season yet

While a report by a radio station out of Green Bay may have created some excitement, an official from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association said the group’s board of directors has not yet made a decision on if the fall sports season will be conducted.

 WNFL out of Green Bay posted a story on its website with the headline reading “WIAA gives okay to restart sports.” That “okay” was never given according to WIAA Communications Director Todd Clark, who said that the casual reader could find the story misleading.

“We are optimistic and hopeful that our schools will be able to provide fall sports,” Clark said. “However, it will ultimately come down to local and state health leaders, who are the experts determining if our schools can provide sport opportunities for their student-athletes.”

The story on WNFL was, apparently, referring to an interview given to NBC26 out of Green Bay by Wade Labecki, the WIAA”s deputy director.

“We’re planning on football on Aug. 4, issuing equipment and practice on Aug. 5,” Labecki said. “Now the experts in the medical area may change our options. They’re the experts on that, we’re getting ready to be ready for that. Getting ready to assist our schools.”

Clark said the WIAA’s position is that safety and health are the biggest concerns.

WIAA officials have previously said that sports would not continue without school being in session. An executive order by Governor Tony Evers closed schools indefinitely last April, the overturning of Evers’ Safer at Home order did not impact that ruling. At this point, no announcement has been made about the return of school.