Virginia Tech and ECU are 2018’s hurricane game mini-spat
It was apparently the Pirates call to cancel the Week 3 game with the Hokies. VT has some opinions about that.
It seems like every year now, September college games are being postponed or outright cancelled due to the threat of a hurricane. And when that happens, sometimes there are some organizational differences of opinion between both programs.
This year, the mantle belongs to ECU and Virginia Tech. Their 2018 Week 3 game in Blacksburg isn’t in the direct path of Hurricane Florence. Greenville is. Its mayor has declared a state of emergency and time is of the essence for the Pirates. The game has since been cancelled. But it’s pretty clear the Hokies are saying ECU was the catalyst for the decision.
Statement from #Hokies AD Whit Babcock: “We certainly understand the need for safety, of course, we just felt that tomorrow, making the decision then, would’ve been more responsible and accurate. We informed ECU of this multiple times”... https://t.co/1KjR90v4Fv
— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) September 11, 2018
And take a look at the wording Virginia Tech’s social media account uses to announce the news ...
BREAKING
— Virginia Tech Football (@VT_Football) September 11, 2018
ECU informs Tech it will not travel to Blacksburg for Saturday’s game.
More details will be provided to fans once finalized.
STORY ⤵️https://t.co/a8912Y361i #Hokies pic.twitter.com/j4DJRvbW1U
... and the not so subtle follow-up tweet that has since been deleted.
Virginia Tech is not the first program to take shots at a foe during hurricane game negotiation. Florida and LSU had an all-out war of words during their 2016 Hurricane Matthew cancellation back and forth. Arkansas State literally took Miami to court over payouts regarding their 2017 game cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.
These situations can get chippy between athletic departments, but keeping people safe should always be the paramount concern, and there there’s nothing wrong with caution when lives are at stake.