Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he has “committed 100 percent” to play for the 2020 football season and never strongly considered taking him down, despite his status as the likely top pick in the 2021 draft NFL draft.
After Clemson’s practice on Friday, the junior discussed his decision to play this season, saying his primary concerns revolved around the school’s safety protocols and whether the Tigers would have a chance to play a full season of games.
“Everyone has thought about it, but since I made the decision to play, I haven’t thought about it,” Lawrence said. “I’m busy. It’s my last year here … and I’m super pumped.”
Lawrence said he and senior tailback Travis Etienne, who also chose to return for 2020, had several discussions about playing this season, but eventually both decided to commit themselves firmly to Clemson.
Lawrence said he understands why several other high-profile players have chosen them for the 2020 season, but his NFL draft stock did not play into his worries. He said the loss in last season’s national championship game left a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he joked that after some early thinking in 2019, “everyone said I still had things to work on.”
Eventually, the decision to play this season just got over another year with his teammates, he said.
“It’s about football,” Lawrence said. “I do not want to give up that opportunity to play another year at Clemson. I am really excited to have at least one more year here and I was not ready to give that up.”
Lawrence said that if games were canceled when the season for spring returned, he would have to re-evaluate his decision.
Lawrence also addressed concerns raised by players in the Big Ten and Pac-12 in recent open letters published to The Players Tribune, asking players for improvements in security protocols, guarantees of medical care and other COVID-19 protections. Lawrence said he agreed with those feelings, but he was more skeptical about other requests, including revenue sharing between schools and players.
“I did not agree with everything that was there,” said Lawrence, who spent part of his offseason talking about social justice, including leading a protest march on campus in June, “but it was people who used their voice to support what they believe in, and I support that. “
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