#WeWantToPlay
College players speak out as cancellation drumbeat grows louder.
Players from Power Five programs, including Pitt and Penn State, used their platform Sunday and into the early hours of Monday in hopes of swaying the powers that be. But their effort — a unified loud declaration that they want to play college football amid the COVID-19 pandemic — might fall on deaf ears.
Less than 24 hours after #WeWantToPlay became the United States’ No. 1 trending Twitter topic, chaos ensued as the fight for college football’s 2020 fall season intensified.
The Big Ten appeared poised to cancel its fall slate, according to reports early Monday. But as the day progressed, the first Power Five domino did not fall. However, the Mountain West did postpone its season Monday in hopes of playing in the spring. There are now two Football Bowl Subdivision conferences out of 10 opting not to play in the fall after the Mid-American Conference announced its decision last Saturday.
As for the other Power Five conferences, the Pac-12’s fate could be decided as the conference officials meet Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger reported. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey preached patience on Monday, tweeting that its conference officials “haven’t stopped trying” to secure football in the fall.
The Big 12 is up in the air. And the ACC, according to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, is “moving forward in an attempt to play” after the conference’s athletic directors met Monday.
Even if one Power Five conference cancels its fall slate, there is a chance the rest play on. The Division II and Division III fall championships are canceled, and those seasons are postponed. But the NCAA’s top division has yet to make a call on its fall championships.
Should the Division I Council nix fall championships, the major conferences can still push forward and play for a national championship, with the College Football Playoff autonomous of the NCAA. There’s even a chance that the SEC brings in teams from conferences that cancel fall sports.
While grim, college athletics’ situation remains fluid. And as it stands, coaches want to coach, and players want to play.
In the Big Ten, coaches of the conference’s blue-blood programs applied pressure from within. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he and his peers are “swinging as hard we possibly can” for the players. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh issued a letter on Monday afternoon, advocating for football in the fall and citing the Wolverines’ exemplary COVID-19 testing protocols and results (11 positives out of 893 administered). And Penn State’s James Franklin tweeted that he’s “willing to fight” for his players’ right to pursue playing football.
“While we all agree there is much uncertainty, the best decision right now isn’t to cancel the season,” Franklin wrote in a statement. “I implore the Big Ten to consider all possibilities to preserve college football this fall. Our conference intentionally built a flexible schedule allowing us to easily postpone the start of the season. Let’s delay, seek clarity, build the safety environment for our guys and make the best decision.
In the ACC, Louisville coach Scott Satterfield, who is scheduled to face Pitt on Sept. 26 at Heinz Field, said Monday that the conference is “moving forward no matter what other conferences do.” Clemson’s Dabo Swinney argued that the Tigers are safer at their facility and on campus than at home. And Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi supported his team by tweeting #WeWantToPlay — a hashtag that picked up steam over the weekend as players across the country spoke out against cancellation rumors.
As the list of high-profile draft prospects opting out — Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman and Penn State’s Micah Parsons included — grew and the season’s outlook continued to worsen, this past weekend was the players’ last chance to speak up and maybe, just maybe, save fall football. Within Monday’s first minute, they shot their shot and laid out their demands.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’s proved this offseason that he’s more than just a national champion and Heisman Trophy contender, tweeted a graphic at 12:01 a.m. Monday. At the top of it sat the logos of all Power Five conferences, with #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay in tandem below them.
The former is a movement by a group of players in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West that last week released a list of demands, including increased COVID-19 safety protocols and eligibility protections. The latter is a self-explanatory plea Penn State players started tweeting on Saturday. Thousands did the same on Sunday, including Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Jimmy Morrissey and Rashad Weaver.
Beneath the hashtags on the graphic were five statements, with a sixth line denoting that it was representative of the players of all Power Five conferences. Clemson running back Darien Rencher said he and Lawrence had a Zoom call with representatives from every autonomous conference to come up with the following points:
• “We want to play football this season.”
• “Establish universal mandated health & safety procedures and protocols to protect college athletes against COVID-19 among all conferences throughout the NCAA.”
• “Give players the opportunity to opt out and respect their decision.”
• “Guarantee eligibility whether a player chooses to play the season or not.”
• “Use our voices to establish open communication & trust between players and officials; ultimately create a College Football Players Association.”
Lawrence’s post was retweeted 14,000 times by Monday evening. President Donald Trump even weighed in, commenting: “The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay.”
Mr. Trump wasn’t the only politician to express his opinion, either. Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, sent a letter to the presidents and chancellors of the Big Ten. Mr Sasse wrote that life for athletes on campus and within football programs are safer than it is away from that structure — a sentiment that plenty of players and coaches have agreed with over the past few days.
“Life is about trade-offs. There are no guarantees that college football will be completely safe — that’s absolutely true; it’s always true,” he wrote. “But the structure and discipline of football programs is very likely safer than what the lived experience of 18-22-year-olds will be if there isn’t a season.
“... This is a moment for leadership. These young men need a season. Please don’t cancel college football.”
Should the season continue, it could start as soon as Aug. 29. Despite changes to the Big Ten’s protocols, practices are ongoing. Penn State is scheduled to begin its season on Sept. 5 against Northwestern. Pitt’s opener is now on Sept. 19 versus Syracuse after losing Miami (Ohio) as a Sept. 12 opponent with the Mid-American Conference canceling its fall slate.
The MAC’s decision on Saturday was one of several headlines that fans of the sport didn’t want to see last weekend.
On top of the reports that the Big Ten might cancel its season, Dellenger also wrote Saturday that the major conferences have become increasingly concerned with COVID-19 causing heart damage. “In a small percentage of infected patients,” he wrote, COVID-19 has left behind myocarditis — inflammation of the heart with symptoms that include chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, shortness of breath and, in the most serious case, sudden death.
Dr. Matthew Martinez, Major League Soccer’s head cardiologist, told Sports Illustrated that COVID-19 cases with heart issues among young athletes are “very small,” but instances of myocarditis have been identified recently by physicians when they weren’t before.
That, along with the financial and health-related roadblocks of testing, travel and non-athletes returning to campus, has college football’s fall season seemingly on life support, which is why players voiced their opinions in unison.
“I’m excited and ready to play this season,” tweeted Morrissey, a returning Pitt captain. “I’m thankful for my teammates and everyone involved in our program who have put forth the effort to make sure we have a season during these chaotic times. #WeWantToPlay.”
“I feel safer playing football than being home,” Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford wrote. “Never wanted to play football more than now! #IWantToPlay.”
“If opting out is ok, then opting in should hold just as much weight,” Weaver added on Twitter. “Let those who wanna play, play and those don’t, don’t. #WeWantToPlay.”
Those words align with what Pitt’s team leaders told reporters last Friday.
Before Twyman opted out, Narduzzi said the Panthers weren’t expecting anyone to do so. Morrissey said he feels “extremely comfortable” with Pitt’s medical and safety protocols, star defensive end Patrick Jones confirmed he would play and veteran safety Damar Hamlin added that he was “all in.”
“I feel 100% safe with what we’re doing,” Pickett said Friday. “So I think we’re on the right path here.”
What lies at the end of college football’s path is unclear at this point. But the clouds are getting darker than they already were as conference commissioners, university presidents and athletic directors barrel toward a decision on the fall slate.