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Manhattan College Department Of Intercollegiate Athletics March 26, 2020 #JasperNation, On Thursday, March 12, at approximately 2:30 pm, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), cancelled the remainder of the Basketball Championships in Atlantic City, in addition to indefinitely postponing spring sports at all 11 member institutions. Student- athletes that remained on campus were asked to pack up their belongings and vacate campus, filled with doubt on whether we would get to come back and finish the spring semester with our teammates, coaches and classmates who we had spent countless hours in fostering life-long relationships. By no means can I fully understand the broad range of emotions and feelings that each player, coach, administrator and parent is experiencing during this unprecedented time. With so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, I hope to provide some perspective and reassurance to those who are feeling alone, and that were robbed of their final memories of suiting up in the Kelly green and white. To all the student-athletes who played their final game without knowing it, my heart breaks for you. While sports have such an integral role in all of our lives, they do not define who we are as people. The countless hours sacrificed in Draddy Gymnasium, down at Gaelic Park, early mornings in the water or on the course, have helped to lay our foundation as people off of the field. When I think of a Manhattan College student-athlete, I envision a blue-collar individual who does not make excuses, and who is always willing to go the extra mile to outwork the competition while constantly looking out for his/her teammates. Family is the word to me that is synonymous with the culture at Manhattan College, and now more than ever we need to come together as one. Reach out to the women’s basketball player that never got the chance to play for the program’s first title in 17 years. Reach out to the baseball player who will never get the opportunity to experience a home game in front of his classmates at Van Cortlandt Park. Reach out to senior lacrosse players that will never get the chance to walk out on Senior Night with their families at Gaelic Park. Now more than ever, it is important to come together as a family and help those around us realize they are not alone, and to cherish all the memories we were blessed enough to make … not the ones that were taken away from us. For those of you who are fortunate enough to come back and wear a Jasper uniform again, remember this feeling and use this experience as a lesson moving forward to never take anything in life for granted. Treat every workout, every practice and every game like it is your last, and honor those who wish they could do it again just one more time. To the coaches, athletic trainers and administrators, we know you are equally as impacted and hurt by this news as we are. The accumulation of hours spent in the office and on the road away from your families, ensuring that the student-athletes under your supervision are provided the best opportunities to succeed on and off the field was not in vain. Your tireless hard work and determination to make sure that our needs were met did not go unnoticed. Despite the criticism you all may receive from outsiders, you deserve nothing but praise for continually going above and beyond to make Manhattan a special place. You provided us all an opportunity to continue our sport beyond our high school years, and showcase our abilities at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Life at Manhattan may not always be glamorous, but in large part through your guidance and reassurance we are able to navigate through these tough times, no matter how difficult things may seem. Moving forward, we acknowledge that you will continue to have our best interest in mind and help us move forward to better times come fall. Two weeks have passed since sports have been absent in our lives, and we all realize that this is a lot bigger situation than we originally thought. During this time of crisis, it is important to express compassion and support to everyone. Practicing social distancing, while maintaining a sense of normalcy to life, can get rather complicated, but it is in the best interest of the health and safety of our country, so that we can ultimately conquer this pandemic. I wish you all, and your families, health and happiness moving forward in this tough time. Sincerely, Thomas (T.J.) Stuart NCAA MAAC SAAC Representative Manhattan College Baseball Captain @GoJaspers 4513 Manhattan College Parkway * Riverdale, NY 10471 * GoJaspers.Com.

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