East Mississippi Community College will not play football this fall

East Mississippi Community College has decided not to play football this fall due to COVID-19 concerns.

The EMCC Department of Athletics and the EMCC Board of Trustees made the decision Tuesday.

“The well-being of my players will always come first,” said EMCC head coach Buddy Stephens in a statement. “There are too many unknowns to put in front of our players moving forward at this time. We must make this incredibly heart-breaking decision to not participate in the fall 2020 season.”

EMCC is a known football powerhouse in the junior college world and the Lions were once stars of the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” They will continue to play football in 2021 under head coach Buddy Stephens, who has led the team to five national championships.