Duke pressured ACC into canceling tournament by shutting down all Blue Devil sports

Steve Wiseman and Luke DeCock
·2 min read

Even as ACC commissioner John Swofford said Thursday morning the ACC tournament would continue despite the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, Duke University president Vincent Price had decided the Blue Devils were done.

Just before noon, while Florida State’s players warmed up on the court, Price notified his fellow ACC presidents and Swofford that Duke would suspend all athletic competition, including Thursday’s quarterfinal against N.C. State.

“We have been thinking a lot about athletic competition and even after the moves were made to protect the public, I remained concerned about the safety and welfare of our athletes,” Price told the News & Observer on Thursday. “Once the NBA players tested positive, by extrapolation, an incredible number of intercollegiate athletes were potentially exposed.”

Price said Duke’s decision was made independently of the several other conferences that canceled their basketball tournaments before the ACC on Thursday.

At 12:14 p.m., the ACC joined conferences around the country in canceling its postseason basketball tournament.

Duke’s decision means coach Mike Krzyzewski’s basketball team, ranked No. 10 in the country and owning a 25-6 record, wouldn’t have participated in the NCAA tournament, even if it had been played. Later Thursday, the NCAA announced that it is cancelled.

“We emphatically support the decision made by Dr. Price today regarding the suspension of athletic competition at Duke,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “The welfare of our student-athletes, and all students at Duke, is paramount, and this decision reflects that institutional priority. Certainly, I want to applaud Dr. Price, who took a leadership role with his presidential peers and the Atlantic Coast Conference in arriving at this decision.”

Price has been in communication with Duke athletics director Kevin White, who is doubling as the NCAA men’s basketball committee chairman this academic year, about the decision to suspend the school’s athletic competition for the foreseeable future.

“During this unpredictable time, Duke Athletics fully supports all measures to protect the health and welfare of the Duke family and beyond,” White said in a statement. “While we understand this may be daunting to many, please know that this decision is entirely in the best interest of all student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.”