In a matter of hours Sunday night, a dozen college football players from all five major conferences came together to create a joint statement that expressed their desire to play the 2020 season and shared items they feel need to be addressed to ensure a safe and fair environment for student-athletes moving forward. The unprecedented national push for unity comes as one tumultuous week in college sports bleeds into another that threatens to bring more significant change.
In a statement released on social media just before midnight on Sunday and shared by dozens of college players, the group asked for uniform health and safety protocols for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and laid out their intentions to form a college football players association in the future. The statement also said players should have the chance to opt out of the upcoming football season and that they should be guaranteed another year of eligibility whether they play this season or not.
The players organized a Zoom call within an hour that included players from teams across all five major conferences.