PAC-12 players threaten to boycott season citing coronavirus, racial inequality; publish letter with list of demands
Pac-12 football players have taken a stand to ensure that their environment for the 2020 season is safe from a physical and mental standpoint.
In a letter titled “#WeAreUnited” on The Players Tribune, Pac-12 football players created a list of demands for the upcoming season. Most of them were related to the ongoing pandemic, but a few of the demands looked beyond issues with COVID-19.
There were four different points of emphasis for the demands: Health and Safety Protections, Protect All Sports, End Racial Injustice in College Sports and Society and Economic Freedom and Equity.
Under the Health Safety Protections list, players asked for the opportunity to opt out of playing during the pandemic without losing a roster spot or athletic eligibility. They also asked for the prohibition of COVID-19 agreements that waive liability.
The players also called on the commissioner of the Pac-12, administrators and coaches to “drastically reduce excessive pay.” They also demanded universities use some of their endowment money to restore sports that have been removed due to financial concerns. They used Stanford and their $27.7 billion endowment as an example. Stanford recently cut the vast majority of their fall sports.
The most ambitious ask in the article was essentially the end of racism.
They asked for the creation of organizations and task forces with the specific goal of ending “outstanding issues such as racial injustice in college sports and in society.” They also asked for two percent of conference revenue to be redirected to low-income Black students, community initiatives and development programs.
Sensible economic agreements were their final ask.
The players asked for the ability to earn money off their own likeness, the ability to transfer one time without punishment and the ability to complete their eligibility if they declare for professional sports and go undrafted.
The Pac-12 has not responded to the letter yet.
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