MADISON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- Chris McIntosh knows what it's like to be a college football player. After a standout career at Pewaukee High School, he was one of the Wisconsin offensive linemen who helped pave the way for Ron Dayne to break rushing records in the late 1990's. He later played in the NFL with Seattle.
These days, McIntosh is the right hand man for Barry Alvarez in the University of Wisconsin athletic department. As UW's Deputy Athletic Director, McIntosh is in the middle of Wisconsin's contingency planning in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a zoom interview on Wednesday, McIntosh addressed some of the questions surrounding Badgers Football this fall while we all wait for life to return to normal.
On planning for fall: "Lots of uncertainty about the fall...We're trying to plan for different scenarios without trying to predict...We're reliant on what public health officials will tell us to be appropriate at the right time."
On the economic impact to the athletic department if the football season is disrupted: "There's no doubt that football is an economic driver...It would present challenges. I'm confident that we could navigate through those challenges."
On whether games at Camp Randall without fans are possible: "I don't know. It's possible. That's one of the scenarios that's being talked about. It's one of the possible outcomes...That'll be dictated by public health officials, by our campus officials...
Determining what's safe."
On how Wisconsin student athletes are handling this situation: "I'm really proud of how (they're) handling it...This is much larger than fall football right now. It's much larger than sports. It's much larger than UW-Madison and the athletic department...We understand our place in this."