https://twitter.com/AABonNBC/status/1306390898838851584/photo/1
The pandemic just keeps on taking. On Tuesday, NBC Sports announced the cancellation of the 2021 All-American Bowl via Twitter.
“Due to the environment we find ourselves in and with the health and safety of our All-Americans and their families our first priority, we have made the extremely difficult decision to not play this year’s All-American Bowl,” the statement reads.
NBC Sports also announced that a two-hour special to showcase All-American athletes called “All-American Bowl: Declaration Day” will air on January 2 in lieu of the game.
Southlake Carroll senior Joe McFadden was set to play in the 2021 All-American Bowl. The kicker was recently honored in NBC Sports’ Youtube series “All-American Bowl 2021: Road to the Dome."
After the cancellation of the game, McFadden expressed disappointment, speaking plainly when he said “Well this sucks,” along with a sad face emoji via Twitter. He soon followed up with another tweet expressing his thanks.
“Forever thankful for everything y’all have done for me,” McFadden said via Twitter. “It’s an absolute blessing to be [a part] of the family.”
Ryan Lacey, a member of the All-American Bowl Selection Committee, also expressed his disappointment in the cancellation.
“I’m gutted by this decision — no other way to say it,” Lacey said via Twitter. “However, it was the decision we had to make and it takes leadership to do so.”
NBC Sports’ will air “All-American Bowl: Declaration Day” on January 2 on NBC in place of the All-American Bowl.