The Pac-12 players of the “WeAreUnited” movement said they were “disappointed and deeply concerned” after a recent meeting with the conference commissioner.
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FILE – In this August 29, 2019, stock photo, the Pac-12 logo is displayed on the field at Sun Devil Stadium during an NCAA football game between Arizona State and Kent State in Tempe, Ariz. As the richest conferences such as the Pac-12 have released plans that they hope will protect athletes from contracting and distributing COVID-19, most schools in the second tier of Division I have given up football to try to play in ‘ e autumn. (AP photo / Ralph Freso, file)
The players sent an email to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott last Friday, accusing him of not taking the issues they had raised seriously enough. The email was also shared with members of the media.
The group’s correspondence came after Scott responded to Thursday’s call with an email to the players that struck a very different tone, thanking them for the “passion and honesty with which you spoke yesterday.”
The group urges the conference to address its concerns about COVID-19 protocols, racial injustice in college sports and economic rights for college athletes. Players threaten to withdraw from practices and games if their requirements are not met. Leaders of the group have said their movement has more than 400 players from around the conference it supports.
© Provided by Associated Press
FIL – In this 6 dec. 2018, stock photo, Oregon safety Jevon Holland (8) breaks a pass for Utah wide receiver Jaylen Dixon (25) during the first half of the Pac-12 Conference Championship NCAA college football game in Santa Clara, California. A group of Pac-12 footballers on Sunday, August 2, 2020, threatened to make the choice for the upcoming season unless their concerns about competing during the COVID-19 pandemic and other racial and economic problems in college sports were addressed. (AP photo / Tony Avelar, file)
In their email to the commissioner, the players said they were not satisfied with Scott’s answers to questions about increasing the frequency of COVID-19 tests performed on athletes and the mandate of best practices across the conference.
“Without a tangible plan and mandates to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, it is absurd, insulting and deadly to expect a season to continue,” they said.
When the players revealed their demands last Sunday, they reached out to the Pac-12 and requested daily meetings with conference officials. Instead, last week they received one call and a speech from the conference for ongoing communication.
“You have informed us that we will not be able to attend legal representation at these meetings to assist with our legal rights, and you were not prepared to even have regular meetings with us to provide updates,” the players wrote to Scott .
Scott’s email covered four topics that made up most of Thursday’s call with 12 players: health and safety; eligibility; COVID-19 disclaimers; and rejected due to concerns about COVID-19.
Scott wrote the conference will try to give players a chance to talk to the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee and keep them abreast of the work being done at the NCAA level to address whether athletes who their rejections for the upcoming season are allowed to be retained are eligible.
Scott said the conference office would ensure that none of the league’s schools asked athletes to sign liability exemptions and repeated Pac-12 schools were committed to assessing scholarships from players who chose not to play this season. due to COVID-19 concerns.
“We will work to collect the above information and provide it to you as soon as possible,” Scott wrote.
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