Michigan's Warde Manuel: 'Impossible' to play sports without students on campus

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel made clear, in blunt terms, that he would find it “impossible” to ask his student-athletes to play games if students are not back on campus this fall.

College athletics were shut down in mid-March amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been widespread shutdowns nationally of most businesses.

Warde Manuel (Photo: Paul Sancya, AP)Manuel, speaking Thursday on Edyoucore’s “Get Lit” live chat with hosts Drew Hawkins and Bart Scott, said it would be “unfathomable” to have Michigan athletes playing sports if their fellow students are not also on campus taking classes.

“We need our campuses to be open first and foremost before we can bring our…