Trump Weighs In as College Football Teeters on the Brink
With reports indicating the coming college football season is in serious doubt, President Donald Trump weighed in Monday in support of the players who want to take the field this fall.
Conference officials and school presidents have been discussing the possibility of canceling the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, many of the top players in the nation made it clear over the weekend that they do not want to see their countless hours of preparation go to waste.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a driving force in the #WeWantToPlay social media campaign to push against the season’s cancellation.
Not to mention the players coming from situations that are not good for them/ their future and having to go back to that. Football is a safe haven for so many people. We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football. Having a season also incentivizes –
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 9, 2020
Players being safe and taking all of the right precautions to try to avoid contracting covid because the season/ teammates safety is on the line. Without the season, as we’ve seen already, people will not social distance or wear masks and take the proper precautions
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 9, 2020
Trump on Monday showed his support for the effort, sharing a post from Lawrence.
“The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay,” the president wrote, sharing the quarterback’s post with the same hashtag.
The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay https://t.co/lI3CCKZ4ID
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
Lawrence’s post contained a graphic with the logos of the Power 5 conferences and said, “We all want to play football this season.”
The #WeWantToPlay movement’s platform asks for “universal mandated health and safety procedures and protocols to protect college athletes against COVID-19 among all conferences throughout the NCAA.”
Players further want the opportunity “to opt out” of the season with guaranteed “eligibility whether a player chooses to play the season or not.”
#WeWantToPlay also asks to “establish open communication and trust between players and officials: Ultimately create a College Football Players Association.”
Trump followed up with another tweet Monday that said, simply, “Play College Football!”
Play College Football!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
It remains to be seen if efforts by the president and the players will be enough to prevent college football from being shut down this fall.
Dan Patrick reported Monday morning that the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences would cancel their seasons Tuesday.
DP was told an hour ago that the Big 10 and Pac 12 will cancel their football seasons tomorrow… The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence.. And the SEC is trying to get teams to join them for a season.
Watch live: https://t.co/sMaeXQkLfl pic.twitter.com/oSUNGMTEqw
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 10, 2020
According to Dan’s source, 12 of the 14 Presidents from the Big 10 have voted against having a Fall College Football season. Iowa and Nebraska were the two that have been pushing to play.
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 10, 2020
Other Power 5 conference officials told ESPN they believe the entire college football season is now in doubt.
“It doesn’t look good,” an athletic director told ESPN.
Still, players around the country are signaling they want to have a say in what will become of their season.
There’s been too much work put in!! #WeWantToPlay
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) August 10, 2020
We NEED football, the country NEEDS football! We understand the precautions we have to take every single day for this to happen and we are more than willing to do that. There’s been too much hard work put in to bring everything to a hault. #WeWantToPlay !!!
— Spencer Rattler (@SpencerRattler) August 10, 2020
I’d take a punch from @MikeTyson to be able to play#WeWantToPlay
— Jake Venables (@_jakevenables) August 10, 2020
The Penn State football doctors, trainers, and coaches have always put our safety and well being before anything else. The precautions and guidelines that our team is following puts us in the best position possible to be healthy and successful. #WeWantToPlay
— Will Fries (@willfries55) August 9, 2020
If opting-out is ok, then opting-in should hold just as much weight. Let those who wanna play, play and those who don’t, don’t. #WeWantToPlay
— Rashad Weaver (@R_Weaver17) August 10, 2020
Worked way too hard for this. #WeWantToPlay
— 11 (@HenryTootoo1) August 10, 2020
Yeah yeah let us play!
— King (@DeriqKing_) August 10, 2020
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh added his voice to the #WeWanttoPlay chorus on Monday.
Letter from Jim Harbaugh on wanting to play the season and why he thinks it can happen. pic.twitter.com/wUlf8q4vYr
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 10, 2020
ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy speculated that the #WeWanttoPlay movement might be the only thing that could save the season at this point.
All weekend, it felt like the 2020 College Football Season was doomed.
But, the #WeWanttoPlay movement has given it new life. Ultimately, I don’t know if it will make a difference, but it feels like the players are the only people that can make a season happen.
— Greg McElroy (@GregMcElroy) August 10, 2020
“Ultimately, I don’t know if it will make a difference, but it feels like the players are the only people that can make a season happen,” McElroy wrote.
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