Dec. 16 (UPI) — The Virginia Tech football program has opted out of a bowl game this postseason, ending the Hokies’ nation-best run of bowl appearances at 27 years.
Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente told reporters Wednesday that he met with the team, and the players decided against competing in any postseason game.
“We had a team meeting and our players have decided to not play, and I’m going to support them 100%. It speaks to the difficulty of the season they’ve been through,” Fuente said. “There were players who wanted to play, but we were going to do this all together or not, and it became evident that it was a very difficult situation.
“There’s kids that would like to go home for Christmas. This is ultimately about our kids. I think they’ve sacrificed enough. They’ve been at this for some time and given up freedoms and plenty of opportunities, so we’re going to turn the page and get ready to go.”
The Hokies endured COVID-19 issues throughout the 2020 season. Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock estimated about three-quarters of the football team contracted the coronavirus since March.
Virginia Tech finishes the season with a 5-6 record. The Hokies joined ACC members Boston College, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Georgia Tech in opting out of a possible bowl game during the pandemic.
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