Pac-12 responds to #WeAreUnited movement

Following the announcement that hundreds of Pac-12 players are considering sitting out the upcoming season, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott responded with open arms for a dialogue

News broke on Sunday afternoon that Pac-12 players would opt out of any upcoming training camps and 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.

“We’re not your entertainment, we’re human beings,” Oregon safety Jevon Holland told SI. “Just like you would help your family, we want to help our mother, father, grandmother, everyone. We don’t know the long-term risks. We have no idea how it’s going to affect our body regardless if we show symptoms or not. I refuse to put my health at risk for somebody else’s benefit.”

It may have took just over 24 hours but the Pac-12 and commissioner Larry Scott have finally responded.

In a letter obtained by Sports Illustrated, the letter written by Scott cites multiple initiatives that the Pac-12 has championed over the years, including the Pac-12’s policy for (1) providing medical care for athletes four years beyond their eligibility, which is “twice as many years of coverage as any other major conference,” the letter says; (2) allowing any former player to use the remainder of their scholarship to return to campus to complete a degree; (3) against schools canceling scholarships because of poor performance; and (4) to require schools to have mental health services available to all athletes.

One of the more important parts of the letter states that the conference supports two initiatives that are extremely important to the #WeAreUnited group; a modification of the transfer rule to allow players to play immediately when switching colleges, and the passing of a uniform legislation that would allow players to finally profit off their name, image and likeness. 

Scott also referenced the Black Lives Matter movement in his letter, acknowledging how the nationwide movement has filtered down into the college ranks and that the conference stands with any athletes supporting the movement.

"The Pac-12 has a long history of supporting student-athlete voices and initiatives on social justice,” he writes. “On July 1, the Pac-12 announced a series of next steps to combat racism and support social justice, including (i) a newly-created head of diversity & inclusion position at the Conference, (ii) the formation of a social justice & anti-racism advisory group that includes student-athlete representatives, and (iii) the launch of series of student-athlete & coach anti-racism forums.”

Scott ends the letter by saying that the conference will plan on meeting with the media contacts later this week in order to move forward with their demands and how to best serve both sides.

Obviously Scott is not wanting the players to strike and pull out of the upcoming college football season, so protecting their rights and most importantly their health and safety has to be a top priority.

When you combine the fact that the virus is showing no signs of slowing down (and no vaccine in the near future) and a second wave is expected in the fall/winter months with the civil rights protests taking part throughout the nation, this potential holdout is coming at a time that is very critical in the nation's history.

“The coronavirus has put a spotlight on a lot of the injustices in college athletics,” Cal offensive lineman Valentino Daltoso told Sports Illustrated. “The way to affect change and the way to get your voice heard is to affect the bottom line. Our power as players comes from being together. The only way to do this is to do something collectively.”

This is not a spur-of-the-moment action by the players, as they've been in contact with one another for the past couple of months to figure out what is the best way to move forward to reach their goals.

Those goals/demands consist of; 1.) Health and safety protections, 2.) Protection of all sports, 3.) End racial injustice in college sports and society, and 4.) Economic freedom and equality. The players want all of these demands for anybody wearing a college uniform, meaning for both scholarship and walk-on athletes.

A separate Sports Illustrated article details what the NCAA has been doing to players for decades and how the current civil rights movement is changing the way life will ever be moving forward.

The NCAA has long marginalized athletes who make millions for many except themselves, but perhaps no situation has spotlighted the absurdity of the enterprise as much as the coronavirus pandemic. In some cases, schools are asking students to stay at home and take classes online while still asking athletes to play football games. Other schools are asking players to sign waivers absolving them of any liability involving COVID. The universities are making decisions without formalized input from players—unlike the return of every other sport—because the conference commissioners, athletic directors and coaches have too much money on the line not to play.

And all of this is happening against the backdrop of a civil rights movement that’s perhaps drawing more attention than ever to the plight of Black Americans. The NCAA announced in July it would allow athletes to wear social justice slogans on the backs of their jerseys in 2020–21. Meanwhile, the majority Black labor force of the highest-revenue generating sports (football and men’s basketball) are losing the opportunity to create generational wealth because all the money is hoarded by a select few.

“We’re trying to empower the lives of our teammates, change their lives and change the trajectory of their families’ lives,” Elisha Guidry, a defensive back at UCLA, told SI. “Especially Black lives. That’s who mostly make up these sports, and are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”

“If you look at history throughout this country, there hasn’t been change without ruffling feathers,” Guidry adds. “Not everybody is going to want change because otherwise it would have happened already. People are going to have strong opinions. You wish you could talk to everybody and have a civil conversation and broaden their perspective. You have to do what you know is the right thing.”

Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:

Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka