- The prospect of playing college football this fall is looking increasingly dim.
- Multiple reports suggest that the Power 5 conferences are meeting to discuss the fate of the fall 2020 season.
- Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has been joined by other college football stars in a campaign to salvage the 2020 season.
You know the world is in a strange place when Clemson’s shaggy haired quarterback Trevor Lawrence emerges as the voice of reason. With the prospects for a fall 2020 college football season not looking good Lawrence took to Twitter to advocate for playing through the COVID-19 pandemic. While on the surface that sounds reckless and self serving he’s got some good points:
“People are at just as much, if not more 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 were to contract COVID-19. Not to mention the players coming from situations that are not good for them/ their future and having to go back to that. Football is a safe haven for so many people.”
“We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football. Having a season also incentivizes players being safe and taking all of the right precautions to try to avoid contracting covid because the season/ teammates safety is on the line. Without the season, as we’ve seen already, people will not social distance or wear masks and take the proper precautions.”
Lawrence advanced his cause on Twitter with the hashtags #WEAREUNITED and #WEWANTTOPLAY. He also shared a graphic outlining his position in greater detail:
He’s attracted some of the biggest stars in college football to his cause. Right at the top of the list is Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields:
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book gave his thumbs up:
Florida running back Lorenzo Lingard underscored Lawrence’s comments about football being a preferred alternative to home for many players:
Word is that the Big Ten is the conference that has really set off the momentum to postpone the season. There’s definitely not unanimity in their camp over this position. Dr. Corey Teague, father of Ohio State running back Master Teague tweeted a statement on behalf of football parents at the school:
“As parents, we strongly believe. our sons want to play the upcoming season and have the full trust of the university and coaching staff long with medical experts have found a safe way for that to occur. We believe that this age group represents some of the healthiest individuals, while we recognize the risk can’t be eliminated, we believe the risk is minimal and the season can safely and responsibly occur.”
While it’s not readily apparent how much impact Lawrence and company will have on the decision you’d think their opinion would carry significant weight. We’re not talking lower level benchwarmers here. These are the players that put butts in seats, deliver TV ratings and allow the NCAA and the entire college football ecosystem to bank fat paychecks for broadcast contracts. Stay tuned–this could get interesting:
