Midnight Madness? TCU football practicing late tonight in order to vote Tuesday
TCU coach Gary Patterson is happy that the NCAA Division I Council approved a measure this offseason that gives every student-athlete the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 off to allow them to vote in elections or participate in other civic activities.
However, that does throw a curveball in the football program’s game-week routine. Instead of their typical Tuesday meetings and practice, the Horned Frogs moved them to Monday night … late Monday night.
With approximately 20 players in class until 7:40 p.m. and meetings beforehand, the team likely won’t hit the practice field until 10 p.m. Practice would then finish close to midnight.
“I don’t think finishing by midnight is a good thing, but it’s the best we’ve got,” Patterson said during the Big 12’s football coaches teleconference on Monday.
Patterson mentioned this being a critical time from an academic standpoint for his players as well.
TCU adjusted its fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic, ending fall classes on Nov. 17 with finals running Nov. 18-24. The thought process was to have students not return to campus following Thanksgiving break.
Patterson knew the schedule would be altered this week and is accustomed to adjusting on the fly in his 20th season as head coach. He and his staff are essentially treating this week as though they would if they had a Thursday night game.
“We will have tomorrow off so they can vote, which is a good thing, but it’s a little bit late to get everything done,” Patterson said. “But you do what you’ve got to do.”
The players were on board with the altered schedule. Last week, both tight end Carter Ware and cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson expressed support for the NCAA’s decision to allow student-athletes to vote and participate in civic causes.
“I feel like this is a great opportunity for us,” Tomlinson said.
TCU (2-3, 2-3 Big 12) faces Texas Tech (2-4, 1-4 Big 12) on Saturday in Fort Worth. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 12:08 PM.
