The Federal Aviation Administration's decision to ground all flights nationwide on Friday threw the sports world into chaos, leaving NBA, NHL and college teams stranded as they tried to reach their destinations, while NFL teams were left to wonder whether the issue would be resolved in time to travel to their games this weekend. The FAA said the ground stop was "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later said a communications issue was affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide, and that FAA technicians were investigating. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was "no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they're flying."S2S3
Most college football teams playing Saturday travel the day before their game, so the stoppage left many schools at a standstill as they departed for road games. Among them were No. 2 Utah, eighth-ranked Texas and No. 9 Tennessee, with the Utes due at No. 22 Arizona, the Longhorns at No. 24 LSU and the Vols at Texas A&M. Other affected schools included No. 19 Ole Miss, Baylor, Washington, Kansas State and Minnesota.S2S3
The Texas Longhorns posted video of their team boarding a plane before the stoppage began, and a team spokesman said, "We are grounded and waiting to see when we can leave." A bus trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, would take about seven hours for the 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff against the Tigers on Saturday. San Jose State's football team had boarded a plane and was on the runway for its trip to Air Force when the aircraft turned around and returned to the gate, and the team went back to campus to wait.S2S3
The Southeastern Conference said it was aware of the nationwide ground stop and its potential impact on team travel, and was in close communication with member institutions to assess disruptions, adding that the safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches and team personnel remained its highest priority. It was also unclear whether referees, who typically fly in the day before games, would arrive on time. Several teams, including all those traveling in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Missouri flying to top-ranked Georgia, Duke visiting fifth-ranked Miami, and No. 10 Texas Tech heading to Oklahoma State, were able to take off before the stoppage took effect.S2S3
