C.J. Spiller is not minimizing the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus. Personally, he has seen the affects of the virus on people he knows.

However, the former Clemson star is happy the ACC did not follow the lead of the Big Ten and Pac-12 and pull the plug on the football season.

“Those two conferences had to make a decision based off what their medical teams were telling them and the other three (conferences) are going to continue to go forward until something changes,” Spiller said Monday prior to the start of the Sharone Wright Benefit Golf Tournament at the Walker Course in Clemson.

So far so good for the ACC. Though there have been a few hiccups since the league announced last week it was pushing forward, along with the SEC and the Big 12.

Florida State had an issue last week with a player questioning the Seminoles’ protocols, while Syracuse players refused to practice due to miscommunication with their athletic department over testing procedures. On Monday, North Carolina decided to switch to all-virtual classes as COVID-19 cases spiked on campus.

Despite this news, the Tar Heels continued to proceed as normal with its football program.

“Obviously, it will be weird, and I’m pretty sure there is a lot of jealousy and maybe some people out there from the other conferences that do not want to see these other three conferences succeed because that is going to make a lot of people look bad,” Spiller said.

Spiller admits the next couple of weeks will be the telling signs on if there will be a 2020 football season. He says as students get back on campus, it will show how the virus has really evolved.

“I am just glad that (the ACC) did not jump to that conclusion. I think they are trying to exhaust every option that they possibly can,” the conference’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards said. “I can only speak for Clemson. I am pretty sure they are doing everything they possibly can with the guys to keep them safe and give them everything that they need to try and have a season.”

When he learned about the Big Ten’s and the Pac-12’s decision to postpone the fall season until the spring, Spiller said his heart broke for the players because he knows how hard they worked to get to this point. And then all of a sudden, the rug is pulled out from under them.

The former Clemson running back was especially heartbroken for the seniors.

“This is your last go-around. Now you do not have the opportunity that has been given to you. It has been taken away,” Spiller said. “It is something you have worked your whole life for, especially those guys that have that opportunity to maybe go to the next level. Now, you don’t have that, so your heart is really broken for those guys.”

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