If the most debilitating, brand-impacting Big Ten decision of the 21st century came off clumsy in dealing with “unknowns,” these uncertainties might explain why Commissioner Kevin Warren and the Big Ten presidents-chancellors were unwilling to be forthright with coaches, players, parents, fans and media about canceling autumn football.

They’re guessing. Everyone is. That’s what uncertainty leads to. This is the best guess of responsible, well-meaning educational leaders, some of whom have medical backgrounds. Hang the lost revenue. They are acting on legitimate but unverified concerns.

Most confusing of all, they were handed dark glasses to peek into a cloudy future, and they see unresolvable campus transmission problems.

Backgrounding their thinking is the knowledge that 175,000 U.S. citizens have died as a result of COVID-19.

And offsetting this are the minuscule numbers under the age of 25.

Worth gambling?

From any angle, COVID-19 is an enigma. Many of those infected don’t know where they got it. Some of those who test positive aren’t even aware they had it.

Even our most learned medical experts disagree on the long-term impact of lung and heart issues among those testing positive. Then too, contact tracing can be confusing. Who was that fellow who breathed into my water glass in the outdoor seating?

And we’re just learning the negative impact of students returning to campus, which Big Ten administrators surely anticipated.

If Warren, off to a dysfunctional start in his new job, would stop ducking and come clean for a moment, he would simply state in behalf of the 14 leaders: “We don’t know, and we’re not taking any chances.”

That might be understandable, even if it isn’t acceptable to the majority, including the medical specialists representing the Big 12, SEC and ACC, who are saying: “We don’t know either but we have weighed the unknowns and we’re willing to run the risks.”

To play is certainly a gamble. Notre Dame has fresh positives but forges ahead while Purdue and Indiana sit. Iowa fandom is irate because the Hawkeyes are sidelined while arch-rival Iowa State goes forward. Numerous high school and college programs with less sophisticated tests than Illinois are accepting the risk.

Hoops fast approaching

One massive point seems to be overlooked in this. If the goal, athletically speaking, is to keep the athletes safe, evidence is overwhelming that football players are better off within the team structure … in terms of safety, testing, nutrition and medical supervision.

If that’s not true, why has the Big Ten allowed them to continue to practice? And if they’re more safe on the practice field, is it a step too far to play games? Again, that’s a scary unknown.

Now, as the parental fuss subsides — your motives are good, folks, but you can’t win — we turn to winter-spring. And one huge mistake is in the making: a mid-September decision on basketball, although it’s unclear what that particular decision will reflect.

But let’s not compound a too-early Big Ten decision on football with another much-too-early ruling on basketball.

As for winter football, which seems to be outlapping the idea of spring football, let me repeat: Let’s wait to see what develops, even if three months aren’t likely to provide answers on the long-term dangers.

Or might the Big Ten consensus, having thrown the conference into disarray, change with a swifter test and some clarifying medical advancement … coupled with the realization that a portion of $700 million in lost TV revenue could be saved with six or eight football games?