#WeAreUnited not pleased with Pac-12's decision to end fall sports
It was 11 days ago when football players from the Pac-12 formed the #WeAreUnited group to express their displeasure regarding the direction the conference was heading with the upcoming college football season.
The goals/demands from the #WeAreUnited group consisted 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.
The two sides held their first conference call with one another last Thursday evening, four days after the players went public with their list of demands and threatened to boycott the season if they weren't met.
Following the call on Thursday, Sports Illustrated was able to learn through sources that the two-hour call was deemed "productive" by Scott. The call mostly centered on the player-only movement’s health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19, which were described as “constructive.”
As it turns out, the leaders of #WeAreUnited group didn't see the call as productive, saying in a response email on Friday, "were all left disappointed and deeply concerned that you are not taking this matter seriously."
Then the Pac-12 CEO group, which met on Tuesday, voted 12-0 to cancel the fall sports season due to concerns regarding COVID-19 and myocarditis. According to medical professionals, myocarditis is a potential longterm effect from contracting COVID-19.
The American Heart Association describes myocarditis as it "comes on suddenly and often with significant severity, resulting in an exceptionally high risk of death caused by cardiogenic shock (the heart's inability to pump enough blood), fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) and multiorgan failure."
Once aware of the cancellation, the #WeAreUnited group released their own statement expressing their displeasure with the road forward.
"It is obvious that the Pac-12 was woefully unprepared to protect college athlete safety in response to COVID-19 and could not address the basic and essential safety demands made by #WeAreUnited," the group said in the statement, which was critical of the conference's lack of transparency in making Tuesday's decision. "The Pac-12's failures have made it clear that the time for change is now. The system is broken. College athletes deserve and need a real voice in the form of a players association."
Pac-12 athletes must now wait until January at the earliest before they can resume athletic activity. With that being the case, the unity group asked for three priorities moving forward; preservation of athletic eligibility, continued access to support (medical, academic, meals for those who remain on campus) and making all athletic-related activities optional until uniform health and safety standards are mandated conference-wide.
Conference commissioner Larry Scott has constantly stated that the Pac-12 will do what it can to lobby to the NCAA on behalf of the athletes. But as for the other demands, it's all about based on an individual basis for the schools themselves — not the uniformity the athletes were looking for.
The player-led group consists of 18 conference football players.
Ty Amos-Jones, University of Washington; Dylan Boles, Stanford University; Treyjohn Butler, Stanford University; Andrew Cooper, UC Berkeley; Jake Curhan, UC Berkeley; Valentino Daltoso, UC Berkeley; Joshua Drayden, UC Berkeley; Nick Ford, University of Utah; Elisha Guidry, UCLA; Jaydon Grant, Oregon State; Malik Hausman, University of Arizona; Elijah Higgins, Stanford University; Dallas Hobbs, Washington State; Jevon Holland, University of Oregon; Otito Ogbonnia, UCLA; Cody Shear, Arizona State; Joe Tryon, University of Washington; Chase Williams, USC
Read the full letter by the #WeAreUnited group below...
"Today we learned that the Pac-12 canceled fall sports. It is obvious that the Pac-12 was woefully unprepared to protect college athlete safety in response to COVID-19 and could not address the basic and essential safety demands made by #WeAreUnited. After haphazardly trying to place the health of college athletes in jeopardy by having a season without safety mandates, the Pac-12 has now abruptly canceled the season with no transparency and no communication with the college athletes impacted. The Pac- 12's failures have made it clear that the time for change is now. The system is broken. College athletes deserve and need a real voice in the form of a players association.
Throughout our dealings with Pac-12 leadership, the rights of college athletes were not taken seriously by Conference leadership. When we raised concerns over the lack of enforceable health & safety mandates in the conference as a prerequisite to a season, we were met with hostility. When we asked for legal representation at our meetings with Conference leadership, we were told that would not be permitted. In fact, we never heard back from Commissioner Larry Scott to the letter we sent Friday evening where we again reiterated our request for mandated health protocols. We are left with no confidence in the Pac-12 leadership.
Our desire has always been to play football, and we recognize all of the other athletes whose seasons have been affected. We have all put in tremendous work to play this season and wanted to play. We are disappointed in the Pac 12 and NCAA leaders who failed to use the preceding months to prioritize our health and safety to give us the best chance at having a successful season. It was obvious, however, the Pac-12 was more concerned with stifling our ability to organize and in protecting the institution of exploiting college athletes than protecting our safety. Nothing underscores the reason we chose to unite together and demand systemic change more than what we have endured in this attempted return of
football."
"In light of the cancellation of the Pac-12 season, we are requesting the following provisions for all athletes whose sports are postponed:
- Preservation of this year's athletic eligibility
- Continued access to medical treatment, academic support services, and meals for athletes who decide to stay on campus
- All athletic-related activities should be optional until uniform health and safety standards are mandated conference wide.
Additionally, we want to make sure that any plans for a spring or fall football season in 2021, or seasons involving other sports, will not be detrimental to our health.
We remain united and will ensure college athletes have a scat at the table and are treated with dignity.
#WeAreUnited"
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