Coverage of Big Ten Football Parents Protesting Outside Chicago Headquarters
The fight against the Big Ten's postponement of fall sports continues.
Randy Wade, father of Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade, led a protest for OSU and other parents from around the Big Ten on Friday morning in Chicago. Police shut down the streets near the Big Ten headquarters, so the protest took place in front of a mall nearby.
Wade's ultimate objective is to have a Zoom meeting with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, Big Ten athletic directors and parents' association presidents for all 14 schools.
"We do respect the fact that there's a pandemic," Wade told the media. "The situation with the Big Ten, the lack of transparency, is a problem for parents. The reason we're here is to have a conversation, it's that simple." Wade's full speech to the media is below.
After Wade was done talking to the media, he led a "Let us play!" chant with the parents in attendance.
This is also the shirt that Wade wore at the protest.
Jeff Borland, father of three-time captain Tuf Borland, said that the parents understand the risk COVID-19 could have on their sons, but there's a risk every time they go out on the field.
"We weigh the benefits versus the risk," Borland said. "We think the benefits of football far outweigh the risk, even with the added risk of the pandemic."
Borland ruled it unfair to the players who followed the NCAA's and university's instruction to self-quarantine only to not play this fall, "To have the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute with no additional information is really a shame for these kids."
Andrea Tate, mother of Ohio State cornerback Sevyn Banks, gave a passionate speech about other conferences playing and not the Big Ten, "You can't tell us the Big Ten can't get it together, but the ACC can get it together and the SEC can get it together. The Big Ten can do the same and we can do it like clockwork."
Randy Wade was pleased with how the protest went.
"I thank the parents that showed but today, because Friday is a work day. It shows they care," he said. "This is a statement. If we have to make another statement, maybe I can put (a protest) on a weekend, maybe I can put it at a better location. We're going to make another statement. We're going to keep pressing it until we get more transparency."
Below are all the parents who showed up at the protest today and the schools represented.
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