See now:
Fall CFB season will not be played, according to two Power Five ADs
(8:49)
The 2020 college football season seems to be crumbling before our very eyes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Power Five commissioners held a meeting Sunday to address the liveability of football in the fall, and there will be another meeting on Monday, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported. Some Power Five conferences seem believable after playing this fall, perhaps with the hope of putting the season off until spring.
That led to some of the biggest stars of high school football speaking out on Sunday in an effort to save the season, by channeling the #WeWantToPlay movement of NFL players. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence explained his position in a three-post Twitter thread that began a round of tweets from other stars in his footsteps. Towards midnight, #WeWantToPlay teamed up with #WeAreUnited in a call to not only play college football in the fall, but to do so safely, while eventually creating an association for college footballers.
“People are just as much, if not more at risk, if we do not play,” the young signalman wrote earlier Sunday. “Players will all be sent home to their own communities, where social distance is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they contract COVID-19. Not to mention the players who come from situations that are not good for her / her future and should return to that football.Football is a safe haven for so many people.
“We are more likely to have the virus in daily life than football. Having a season also encourages players to be safe and take all proper precautions to try to contract covid, because the safety of the season / teammates on the “Without the season, as we have seen, people will not wear social clothing or masks and take the right precautions.”
The game’s other monster star, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, added his thoughts as well. Fields later tweeted the #WeAreUnited X #WeWantToPlay chart, as a number of other college footballers did in an afternoon tweet storming no. 1 trended in the United States.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book also participated in the #WeWantToPlay hashtag.
Amari Rodgers, KJ Henry and James Skalski – three of Lawrence’s teammates at Clemson, joined the #WeWantToPlay movement.
Several other players tweeted their wish to have played the 2020 season, including North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.
Florida running back Lorenzo Lingard will live in a bubble if he can.
Texas A&M defensive back Jaylon Jones scored.
Florida State defensive back Jaiden Lars-Woodbey will even sign a claim form.
While the Big Ten is arguably the conference that could kick off the domino effect among the Power Five leagues, their players and their parents are not exactly excited about the idea of postponing the season. Dr. Corey Teague, father of the Ohio State star who turns Master Teague back, tweeted a letter on behalf of the Football Parents Association in Ohio State (FPAOS).
“As parents, we strongly believe. Our sons want to play next season and have the full confidence of the university and coaching staff have long worked with medical professionals to find a safe way for that to happen,” the letter said. “We believe this age group represents some of the healthiest individuals, although we recognize that the risk cannot be eliminated. We believe the risk is minimal and the season can happen safely and responsibly.”
Players of the Big Ten and Pac-12 have already formed groups to demand reforms to benefit the health, well-being and financial stability of student athletes. That’s just the last item in an offseason that has shown players that they have the ability to make a difference and hear their voices on a variety of issues. If successful, the members of the #WeWantToPlay movement could be seen as the people who saved the college football season.
