An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

Thank you for the support over the past week for our student-athletes, coaches and staff. You are simply incredible, and we are all fortunate to live and work in Eastern North Carolina.

There's no doubt we are in unchartered territory with the concerns associated with the coronavirus. It is truly a global issue.

For our athletic department, this is a fluid situation where new information is becoming available daily. We will continue to share new developments with you throughout the process and ask for your patience.

Today in conjunction with the American Athletic Conference leadership, we announced that all competitions and championships for the spring are canceled effective immediately. In addition, all conference institutions have ceased practicing in all sports.

It's a major disruption for our student-athletes, coaches and staff, but one that is necessary as we take the proper precautionary steps.

I want to announce several changes to events as it pertains to our spring football practice. We will have further updates to additional events when decisions are finalized.

The 2020 football coaches clinic hosted by ECU Football on March 26-28 has been canceled.
We are unable to host the annual Pigskin Pig-Out, which was originally scheduled for April 17-18. We will be providing refunds for all the cooks who registered for the cooking contest in the next 10-15 days.
The Purple & Gold Spring Game will not be played on April 18 and the status of the game will be determined at a later date.
The Pirate Golf Classic to benefit the Pirate Club will not be held on April 17 and we will work to schedule a later date.

As I have communicated to our head coaches, we are going to take it one day at a time. We don't know what it will look like a month from now. Obviously, we all want a return to normalcy but I'm also realistic that it will take time.

Our top priority remains our student-athletes. We will provide them all the resources they need at this time, including housing, nutrition, academics, wellness and medical care as needed.

As we all process how this virus is affecting us personally, I want to share my thoughts in greater context.

I'm disappointed with all the cancellations of competition, concerned as a leader and a parent, anxious for new information about what the future will entail, devastated for our student-athletes and coaches, determined to lead our department forward and be ready when normalcy returns, focused on making sure we have the necessary resources available, and thankful to live in a community like Greenville.

We have 450 student-athletes who made the decision to attend East Carolina University. They made the commitment to be here and put their trust in us as administrators, coaches and staff that we would provide the resources necessary for them to be successful on and off the playing fields. As part of our mission statement, it states we will guide and support our student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence – Academically, Athletically and Personally.

These student-athletes arrived on campus with hopes of earning a college degree and competing as a Pirate. Heartbroken is an understatement for what they are dealing with right now. They can't do what they love the most - compete.

Our student-athletes and coaches have worked so hard for these moments that are being understandably disrupted. They train year-round to prepare for their respective seasons and to have it taken away is gut-wrenching. They all made sacrifices to be where they are today.

I understand it's the right thing to do, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I think about senior Ryan Davis who was in Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the NCAA Championship weight throw competition when he received the news the championship was canceled. Or how about the two men's swimmers, Rodrigo Romero and Gustavo Santos, along with women's swimmer Kristen Stege who are unable to compete in the upcoming NCAA Championships.

These are life-changing experiences. These moments don't just happen by chance. The student-athletes worked extremely hard for the opportunity to compete for a championship in their respective sport. You don't get those experiences back.

These events take time to digest.

I think about the student-athletes and coaches in our spring sports that are directly affected by the cancellations: baseball, softball, lacrosse, men's and women's track, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis.

These student-athletes are hurting and that is okay.

While the suspension of our competitions is disappointing, we have so many people who need our thoughts and prayers. So many individuals in the health industry are working long hours and doing what they can to keep us safe. I urge each of you to monitor new developments in our country and our community. I pray for all the local children who will not be in school for the coming weeks and the parents who are dealing with the disruption. The local businesses will feel the effect of so many students not returning to campus. Let's make sure we keep all the people affected by the coronavirus in our thoughts.

This is a time we must come together as Pirate Nation and do our part for our local community. Our athletics department will be engaging with our local leaders to provide any assistance we can at this time.

Our student-athletes were given the option to remain on campus or in off-campus housing or return home until further notice. The University remain opens and will transition to a system of alternative course delivery beginning March 23 which will includes classes via online, video, email and other forms of delivery.

A final number of student-athletes that remain in Greenville varies with the extended spring break and we will have more defined number later this week. We will provide academic assistance to our student-athletes.

In accordance with the UNC System guidelines which ensure the health and safety of our campus, we are asking employees to work remotely for at least the next two weeks. All employees have been communicated with and understand the schedule we have in place.

Communication and transparency are at the forefront of our administration. Our goal is to provide as much information as possible when it becomes available. Please be patient with our staff. We encourage fans to stay informed on any new developments on ECUPirates.com or via our social media channels while status updates from the University are available at news.ecu.edu/coronavirus-updates/.

We will miss seeing Pirate Nation on our campus, but we need you more than ever before. Continue to support us as we work through these challenges and give positive thoughts to our student-athletes as they finish out the spring semester.

In the meantime, thank you for your understanding, your patience and being a part of this community. Being a Pirate remains a vital part of all our lives, especially in moments like this.

On behalf of ECU Athletics, we can't wait to reunite soon!

Go Pirates!

Jon

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