GREENVILLE -- Governor Roy Cooper is injecting himself into a football scheduling dispute between East Carolina University and Virginia Tech that arose following cancellation of a game due to Hurricane Florence.

Governor Cooper has called Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and asked him to encourage Virginia Tech officials to work towards a resolution that keeps this important rivalry alive without unfairly penalizing ECU for the storm.

“As North Carolina prepared for Hurricane Florence, I urged residents across our state to stay off the roads and prepare for this devastating storm. Canceling a major college football game means lost revenue, but the safety of players and fans should come first. ECU made the responsible decision and this dispute should be resolved without making Pirate Nation bear additional costs from Hurricane Florence,” said Governor Cooper in a press release.

The dispute stems from ECU’s decision to cancel a scheduled football game in Blacksburg as Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina in 2018.  Virginia Tech in turn cancelled previously scheduled games set to take place in Greenville in 2019, 2023 and 2025.

Hurricane Florence made landfall on September 14, 2018, devastating communities across North Carolina and lingering over the state for days, dumping trillions of gallons of rain, and causing 43 deaths, widespread flooding, road closures and an estimated $17 billion in damage.