UMass' Walt Bell: Losing football season tougher to deal with than parents' deaths

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for August 13

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

UMass became the latest school earlier this week to put its fall sports schedule -- including college football -- on hold because of concerns about the coronavirus.

UMass, an independent at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, joined Connecticut, Old Dominion, the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West Conference in postponing the season. Later, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big East conferences also postponed their seasons.

FLORIDA GATORS' KYLE TRASK WANTS TO PLAY FOOTBALL, SAYS ENVIRONMENT IS SAFEST AMID CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

Walt Bell, the Minutemen head coach, was especially displeased with the season’s postponement.

“I’ll tell you guys the same way I told my players. You know, my dad passed away in 2008, my biological mom OD’d in 2012. And to be honest with you, this is probably a tougher day than both of those days,” Bell told reporters Tuesday, according to The Athletic.

EX-OHIO STATE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN WANTS SCHOOL TO 'FLEX A LITTLE MUSCLE' AMID COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S POSTPONEMENT

“You know, it’s one thing when it’s in your own family and you’ve got a job to do and be the caretaker for the other people, but when you’ve got to go look, 100, some odd, or 109 18-to-21-year-old kids in the face and tell them that their dreams aren’t gonna come true, that’s a devastating deal.”

Bell explained the emotional toll the decision had on him in a separate interview with The Athletic.

“To be honest, it’s miserable. It’s not just your life, it’s their lives. All the sacrifices those kids have made, it’s a really tough deal. It’s heartbreaking. You spend your whole life as a coach and a mentor,” he said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Bell was entering his second seas as UMass head coach. The team was 1-11 last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.