The Arizona Bowl has been canceled after Boise State pulled out and shut down all team activities due to COVID-19 issues.
Boise State announced Monday it will not be playing in the game. Numerous college programs have coronavirus issues coming out of the Christmas break, and four bowls have been canceled.
Central Michigan was supposed to be in the Arizona Bowl but will instead replace Miami in Friday's Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, against Washington State.
Bronco Athletics says it has shut down all football team activities as a result of COVID-19 protocols after consulting with medical staff and campus and public health officials.
“We feel for the young men in our program who were very much looking forward to closing out their season, and for some, their football careers,” director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey said. “I would personally like to thank Kym Adair and her team at the Arizona Bowl for putting together a first-class student-athlete and fan experience that we are extremely disappointed to miss.”
Related: Boise State draws Central Michigan in the Arizona Bowl
Boise State had planned to leave Tuesday before the team had to cancel.
“This late development is disappointing on so many levels, but we certainly understand and agree that the health and safety of the players, coaches, officials, university personnel, fans, vendors and our community comes first,” said Kym Adair, executive director of the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. “We exhausted every option to fi nd a replacement team to play, but unfortunately, we could not make that happen.”
