President Trump appeared to support college footballers who want to play in the fall despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Trump quote-tweeted Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who made a statement Sunday night about the issue.
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“The student-athletes have worked too hard for their season to cancel #WeWantToPlay,” Trump tweeted.
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany also commented on the issue.
“I talked about it with the president in the Oval Office. He would very much like to see college football safely start their sport again … many of these university athletes work their entire lives to get four years, or sometimes if they have an extra years reashirted, they are working their whole lives for this moment and he would like them to have a chance to live out their dreams, “she said.
Trump’s tweet came as eyes turned to the Big Ten Conference, when reports Monday morning indicated that presidents of the 14 schools voted to cancel the season by a 12-2 vote. The Detroit Press reported that Nebraska and Iowa were the only two schools to vote in support of football in the fall.
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Sports radio personality Dan Patrick also announced that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are planning to cancel their seasons.
“The Big 10 and the Pac-12 are canceling their football seasons [Tuesday]”Patrick said. “The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence. The SEC is trying to get a delay to get teams to participate. The SEC reviews exclusive TV contracts. ”
Patrick said the SEC could look to bring in other schools.
“That the SEC might just go and bring in other schools?” he said. “That’s the last one, they’re trying to buy time … to see if the ACC or the Big 12 will join them.”
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However, Yahoo Sports reported that a Big Ten spokesman said no vote was held by school officials, continuing the confusion during the day.
Lawrence proved to be the leader among those who support the game this fall. He, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and others tweeted a statement under the logo of the Power 5 conferences – the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-12 – with the hashtags #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay. Their statement included a list of requirements to ensure the season is safe for all student-athletes who decide they want to step on the football field. ”
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“We all want to play football this season,” the message read. Establish universal mandate for health and safety procedures and protocols to protect college athletes from COVID-19 during all NCAA-wide conferences. Give players the opportunity to make and respect their decision. Qualification guarantees whether a player chooses to play the season or not. Use our voices to create open communication and trust between players and officials; eventually forming a College Football Players Association [with] representatives of the players of all Power 5 conferences. ”
Lawrence also tweeted separate posts about the upcoming season and why he thinks student-athletes should get to play.
‘People are just as much, if not more, at risk if we don’t play. Players will all be sent home to their own communities, where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they contract covid19, ‘the star quarterback wrote.
‘Not to mention the players who come from situations that are not good for his / her future and have to come back to that. Football is a safe haven for so many people. We are more likely to get the virus in daily life than football. Having a season also encourages –
“Players are safe and take all proper precautions to try to contract covid, because the safety of the season / teammates is on the line. Without the season, as we have already seen, people will not wear social distance or masks and take the appropriate precautions. “
It is unclear what the Power 5 conferences are thinking regarding the 2020 season. Each conference has already created an in-conference schedule for teams to limit travel around the country. The ACC has included Notre Dame itself in the scheme process.
Sources told ESPN that the commissioners met on Sunday to discuss the possibility of not playing football in the fall. In the end, however, no decisions were made. Big ten presidents are apparently ready to nibble on college football and wanted to see if other conferences felt the same way.
The Mid-American Conference was the first Conference Bowl Subdivision conference to shift fall sports to spring.
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“Nobody has talked about a plan when the season is canceled,” West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons, who chairs the Football Oversight Committee, told ESPN. “If it is canceled, we should be able to give clear direction at that moment, as opposed to saying, ‘We do not know.'”
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
