More than 1,000 Big Ten football players have published a letter to the conference and the NCAA with proposals to protect the well-being of all athletes in the conference.
Published in the Player’s Tribune the letter is written by College Athlete Unity (CAU) on behalf of more than 1,000 football players in the conference. The players cite as a complaint the NCAA’s “laissez-faire approach,” in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, opting to let the schools and conferences handle everything on their own. The players say NCAA leadership has not requested their input, which inspired the need for the letter and proposals.
Some of the highlight proposals are:
- Third-party, approved by players, to handle all aspects of COVID-19 testing.
- Severe penalties for non-compliance
- Social distancing requirements and mandatory mask-wearing in and around athletic facilities by coaches, staff, players, vendors, press, and visitors
- Minimum cleaning and sanitation protocols for all uniforms, equipment, and athletic facilities, including visitor locker rooms
- Contact-tracing protocols for anyone who comes into contact with college athletes and team personnel who test positive
- Testing of everyone who comes into contact with college athletes, including coaches, trainers, medical staff, nutrition staff, referees, media, etc.
- In-season testing three days a week.
- Guarantee of scholarships for players opting out due to COVID-19.
- Redshirts for players unable to play more than 40% of their season due to COVID-19.
- Coverage for all out-of-pocket medical expenses related to COVID-19 (both short-term and long-term) incurred by active college athletes
There are more proposals from the players, which you can read on the Player’s Tribune.
On Wednesday the Big Ten released its modified ten-game conference-only football schedule.
A large group of players from the PAC-12 made similar demands of their conference and the NCAA earlier in the week.
