NCAA Athletes Express Concern Over Plans For Football's Return

As Pac-12 threaten to opt out this season over safety concerns, several players in other conferences express concern as well.

Top players in the Pac-12 sent a strong message Sunday as they announced their plans to opt out if playing conditions are not to their liking. 

Sports Illustrated's Rohan Nadkarni reported that hundreds of Pac-12 football players said they will opt out of upcoming training camps as well as games "unless the conference negotiates with them and reaches a legal agreement regarding health and safety practices, while also addressing issues of racial injustice and economic inequality."

All the college athletes I spoke to for this story were incredibly smart, well-principled people who understood the gravity of this decision. My greatest accomplishment in college was combining Mello Yello and Blue Powerade to create a low-rent Baja Blast. https://t.co/dSBFTsSlL0

— Rohan Nadkarni (@RohanNadkarni) August 2, 2020

Nadkarni went on to say that the players have been meeting for over a month and are asking for player-approved standards as well as third-party oversight when it comes to mapping out specific conditions to bring football back this season in the midst of the cornavirus pandemic. 

The players also want their voices to be heard through a social justice initiative with the creation of a task force charged with handling racial inequality as well as the obtaining of economic freedom with the ability to profit off of their image. 

Sports Illustrated's Demetrius Harvey reported that the sentiment is starting to spread to the SEC as several Florida Gators have said "enough is enough." 

#Gators defensive end Zachary Carter speaks out to the NCAA in support of the #WeAreUnited movement.

"Enough is enough."https://t.co/AB2zoszUmk

— All Gators (@AllGatorsOnFN) August 2, 2020

Florida defensive lineman Zachary Carter took to his personal Twitter page to show solidarity with the Pac-12 players and a number of his teammates supported him. 

🗣🗣🗣🗣 pic.twitter.com/GBS7clNEAv

— Zachary L Carter (@_Zachattacks__) August 2, 2020

Within the state of South Carolina, no Gamecocks have chimed in yet, but up the road Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence made a comment. 

University of Washington running back Elijah Molden made a post on Twitter basically saying that while he doesn't agree with all of the specifics his Pac-12 counterparts have laid out, he is onboard with athletes having their voices heard. Lawrence quote tweeted the post and added "really well said." 

Former Gamecock Jake Bentley chimed in as well. 

pic.twitter.com/GVPnwN6z8j

— Jake Bentley (@Jake_Bentley_) August 2, 2020