Ray Watts, president of the University of Alabama - Birmingham (UAB), confirmed he will announce the return of the school's football, women's bowling and rifle teams.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Watts confirmed reports that he and Athletic Director Mark Ingram were holding a press conference to make the announcement. Watts' reversal comes nearly sixth months to the date after his initial decision.

The press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET). Local affiliates for ABC and Fox will air the press conference live online.

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Citing unnamed sources, ESPN, AL.com and CBS Sports all reported Monday Watts made up his mind to bring back the Blazers football team in time of the 2016 season.

"Our students, our alumni, the city of Birmingham and now many community members have stepped up with commitments to cover that $17.2 million operational deficit," Watts told the AP. "That's why we're in a position today to make this decision."

Not only did financial studies suggest UAB would not lose money on their football team if it was to be reinstated, but bringing the team back is vital for all the school's teams to stay in the C-USA athletic conference.

"It didn't really come as a great surprise, but we're very pleased with the decision to bring back football," C-USA Commissioner Britton Bankowski told the AP. "As a conference, we're committed to football so we welcome the good news that UAB football has been given another chance."

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