The University of Connecticut announced Wednesday that it is cancelling its football program for the upcoming school year, citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: It's the first FBS program to back out of this year's season — and it could be just the first domino to fall among other major programs.

What they're saying: "The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk," said UConn athletics director David Benedict in a news release.

• "The necessary measures needed to mitigate risk of football student-athletes contracting the coronavirus are not conducive to delivering an optimal experience for our team."
• "Ultimately, the student-athletes would rather preserve their year of eligibility with an eye to competing under more typical circumstances during the 2021 season."