Maryland Set to Begin Fall Camp as Concerns Remain Across Big Ten

Today officially marks the first day of preseason camp for Maryland. The Big Ten unveiled the new 2020 schedule for all fourteen teams while Maryland drew a road contest in Week One against Iowa. Questions about how feasible a fall season remains an outspoken debate as College Athlete Unity, a group representing over 1,000 student-athletes from the Big Ten, released a statement on Wednesday voicing ample concerns about the health and safety of student-athletes.

"While we appreciate the Big Ten’s recently announced plan for the upcoming season, we believe that the conference’s proposal falls short in certain areas. Given that the players are the primary stakeholders in the business of college sports, we believe any course of action moving forward needs to include player input. We are deeply disappointed with the lack of leadership demonstrated by the NCAA with respect to player safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that the NCAA must — on its own and through collaboration with the conference — devise a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety and well-being of players leading up to and during the upcoming fall season."

The Big Ten Unity Proposal calls for mandate for athletics personnel to report suspected violations and calls to improve the existing safety and preventative protocols. The statement also requests more assurances for “whistleblower protections for athletics personnel and college athletes reporting a suspected violation,” while also calling for the ban of COVID-19 liability waivers among others.

The wave of controversy surrounding the fall season has led to professional athletes to opt out prior to the NFL season, but the wave began hitting the Big Ten this week. Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman announced on Tuesday he would opt out in favor of the 2021 NFL Draft while Penn State projected top-five linebacker Micah Parsons also confirmed on Thursday his plans to sit out for the 2020 season. Michigan State defensive end Jacub Panasiuk and Illinois running back Ra’Von Bonner also announced plans to sit out for the upcoming 2020 season while electric Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore also announced Thursday evening his intention to sit out for the 2020 season.

Meanwhile, Michigan State resumed practices on Wednesday while Northwestern and Rutgers remained quarantine while the outbreak in Piscataway has grown to 28 student-athletes and staff, according to NJ.com. Heading into Friday morning, Maryland has yet to publicly have a student-athlete opt out of the upcoming season as head coach Mike Locksley prepares for his first press conference of the 2020 season at 11 A.M.

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