Zach Ertz Lobbies for High School Sports
Unintended consequences are the blind spot of so many politicians.
Eagles Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz clarified some of those for Governor Tom Wolf and other Pennsylvania policymakers who have recommended canceling fall sports at the high-school level due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unprompted, Ertz strongly urged the decision-makers to allow the kids to play, pointing to his own story and what the structure of high-school sports was able to do for him.
“I want the kids to be healthy first and foremost,” the veteran said. “That’s the primary goal. But I remember being 15 years old with my parents separated. I was the oldest of four boys. I was so frustrated.
"The only thing that I knew how to do, the only way I could express myself, was playing football."
For Ertz, the game was a liferaft keeping him afloat, a form of escapism to keep his mind occupied and not dwelling on the difficulties going on at home. Ultimately, the game set him on the path where he's not only a respected NFL athlete but a role model off the field with his wife, Team USA soccer star Julie Ertz.
“All I did was lift weights, play football, play basketball. And that allowed me to release my internal stress and pressure that had built up inside of me because of what was going on," said Ertz.
Ertz was also quick to point out what he was going through at 15 was “1/1000th” of what many high school kids in Philadelphia and the surrounding area are competing with right now.
The lack of a positive outlet for those kids could create more problems than the myopic one trying to be solved.
In essence, Ertz was lobbying that you can't wipe your hands of these kids once you check the box of protecting them from the pandemic.
“I would just really challenge everyone, there’s got to be an alternative where we don’t just allow these kids to go through the day with no guidance, with no further investment in them,” he said.
The PIAA, which is the governing body of Pennsylvania high school sports, called an emergency meeting Friday to discuss Wolf’s recommendation and essentially kicked the cam down the road after Ertz's comments.
A motion from District-6 rep Bill Marshall was passed during a Friday afternoon meeting, moving the start of fall sports back to Aug. 24 statewide.
“I’d like to make the motion to defer the start of all fall sports for two weeks to August 24, 2020, during which staff is requested to continue to seek a dialogue with the administration, the legislature and all athletic stakeholders to obtain clarification on the possibility of safely conducting athletic activities in conjunction with the start of the school year,” Marshall’s motion read.
Ertz, meanwhile, wants football and other fall sports to find a way to proceed safely, and if that's not possible from a public-health standpoint, he wants the finances already earmarked to those sports funneled to the kids in other ways.
“Obviously, football costs money,” he said. “So if they were to disband football, where does that money go? I would love to see it invested in these kids to make sure that they’re OK and taken care of and not on the streets from three to seven (at night)."
Last month Ertz started Team Protege, an organization in which the star tight end will coach high school and college athletes "looking to take their game to the next level."
All of the coaching will be free for the athletes chosen, who must complete an act of service challenge to become eligible.
Ertz mentioned former All-Pro tight end Brent Jones helping him during his own high-school career when announcing the project on social media.
“I was fortunate enough to have football. I was not out on the streets," said Ertz. "... I had organization after school with football and basketball. I couldn’t imagine the path I would’ve gone down if I didn’t have football."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SportMap Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Get the latest Eagles news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of EagleMaven page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow @kracze on Twitter.
