Pac-12 players send clear message to conference, country: #WeAreUnited
SAN FRANCISCO (BVM) – Pac-12 football players have sent a clear message to their conference and the entire country: “#WeAreUnited”
The hashtag is used throughout a letter penned in The Players’ Tribune by athletes from multiple schools threatening to opt out of fall camp and game participation unless certain health, safety and equality demands are met. The letter, published on Sunday, is signed by Players of the Pac-12 and lists a handful of demands to protect and benefit both scholarship and walk-on athletes.
“Because NCAA sports exploit college athletes physically, economically and academically, and also disproportionately harm Black college athletes, #WeAreUnited,” the letter read. “Because we are being asked to play college sports in a pandemic in a system without enforced health and safety standards, and without transparency about COVID cases on our teams, the risks to ourselves, our families, and our communities, #WeAreUnited.”
Chief among the Pac-12 football unity demands are COVID-19 protections that allow players the option not to play during the pandemic without losing athletics eligibility or spot on a team’s roster. The preservation of all existing sports by eliminating excessive expenditures is also a part of the players’ demands, but so are calls to gain economic equity.
In addition to a permanent civic-engagement task force, the players demand that “two percent of conference revenue would be directed by players to support financial aid for low-income Black students, community initiatives, and development programs for college athletes on each campus.”
The freedom to secure representation, receive basic necessities from any third party, and earn money for use of their name, image, and likeness rights was also included, among many other demands, in the letter.
Less than 24 hours after the letter was published, Washington State University head coach Nick Rolovich reportedly told a Cougar wide receiver that his alignment with the Pac-12 player unity group would create “an issue.”
Kassidy Woods, a redshirt sophomore, made Rolovich aware that he was opting out of the 2020 season due to a sickle cell trait that would put him at an enhanced risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rolovich reportedly had no issue with Woods’ reasoning, but asked the young wideout whether he would be a part of the unity group.
Woods said he would be supporting the movement, to which Rolovich responded, “That’s going to be an issue if you align with them as far as future stuff.”
“The COVID stuff is one thing. But joining this group … it’s going to be different,” Rolovich said, according to a recording of a phone call obtained by The Dallas Morning News. “If you say, ‘I’m opting out ’cause of COVID and health and safety,’ I’m good. But this group is going to change how things go in the future for everybody, at least at our school.”
Y’all love us with pads as players but shame us for being humans with voices. #WeAreUnited
— Malik Hausman (@almaliknj) August 2, 2020
Twelve Pac-12 players (from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon State and Stanford) have identified themselves as being among those who have threatened to opt out of fall camp and game participation if the group’s demands are not met, but the group said it has participation at each of the conference’s 12 schools.
https://twitter.com/peneisewell58/status/1289974930155569153
Oregon star and projected first-round 2021 NFL Draft pick Penei Sewell tweeted the hashtag and portions of the letter on Sunday.
Another projected first-round draft pick in Washington cornerback Elijah Molden shared his thoughts on the movement, saying that while he agrees with “most of the demands,” some demands seem unrealistic.
“My initial reaction was how some of the demands seem unrealistic and far fetched given the context of our unique situation (COVID, financial restrictions, time, etc.). But that is not the point,” Molden wrote in a tweet. “The point is, us players need to have our voices heard. We need to stand up for ourselves and our loved ones, especially under the circumstances we are currently in.”
— Elijah Molden (@ElijahMolden24) August 2, 2020
The Pac-12 on Friday set Sept. 26 as the start of its 10-game, conference-only football schedule, but the next few weeks will be crucial as many players may choose to sit out if the conference doesn’t take action.