Dear College Football Players

Source: ESPN via Bùi Nghịch

Dear College Football Players,

This hurts. This hurts a lot. Believe it or not, most of the rational, intelligent people know how badly this hurts. We know how passionate you young men are about pursuing your craft on the collegiate level and possibly at the next level. But those same rational, intelligent people just cannot let you do it.

The thrill of seeing you make a miraculous catch, avoid a tackle with a spectacular stutter step, and celebrate a touchdown would be a step toward normalcy we crave during this time. But the rational, intelligent individuals realize that the enemy we fight now–coronavirus–will not allow us to return to normalcy until it is completely beheaded.

We don’t know much about this enemy besides it is determined to destroy us and the symptoms of its arrival. We are only beginning to understand the long term effects of the virus from hair loss to permanent damage to the lungs and heart. We do not have cure or vaccine to ward off this enemy, and to make matters worse health officials and scientists in Malaysia have detected the virus is mutating into a more infectious disease.

This question has been asked before but here it will be asked again: when is enough to say this is not a good idea? For instance since reopening training camps, multiple NFL players from different teams have tested positive and the NFLPA sent a statement that players should not be working out together. Further, the Milwaukee Bucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, St Louis Blues, and Sacramento Kings to name a few teams have had to shut down their facilities due to multiple players or staff testing positive for the virus. Seven WNBA players have tested positive as well. College football players from Alabama, Oklahoma, Rutgers, UCLA, West Virginia, LSU, Notre Dame and Clemson have also contracted the virus.

The Big 10 and Pac-12 were brave enough to allow reason to rule over greed. Both of those conferences cared enough about their student-athletes to heed the warnings of professionals who actually study this enemy instead of considering it the “flu.” The Ivy League was the first conference to determine it was too risky. No disrespect to the other conferences, but those of are of the brightest minds in the United States. Perhaps, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 should defer to their wisdom. It would be much easier and more intelligent than having to apologize to a student-athlete’s family for that’s student-athlete’s death or career-ending disability caused by the virus.

Yes, college football players could technically live in a bubble. But what about those players entering the bubble who have false negative test results? What happens when a staff member or a players gets so bored and just has to have some fun whether it be a club or the movies? Or, say that a person just can’t wait and “needs” companionship and sneaks off to get it? Or worse yet, sneaks said companionship into the bubble?

Many athletes are not going to stay within the bubble, and those athletes will be putting everyone who follows the rules lives in danger. Further, living in a bubble is not college nor is it mentally healthy to do for long periods of time. The experience for a football student-athlete should go beyond just football. It should include interaction with other students, faculty and staff from various disciplines, cultures and sub-cultures. If the campus is not safe to mingle in this manner, then no students including student-athletes should be allowed onto that campus. And if it is not safe for students and staff, then it is not safe to play college football.

Sorry but not sorry. College football players have futures beyond the gridiron, and it’s the responsibility of those running the conferences to ensure their safety. If they want to treat student-athletes as amateurs, then they have to live by amateurism rules. And that same principle applies to the NFL; it can amend its schedule, draft, etc. to accommodate those college football players impacted by the pandemic just like other leagues are doing now.

Your lives should mean more than dollar bills and cheap thrills for insatiable fans who want to get drunk and tailgate. ♥️

P.S.: I will apologize that we were unable to convince others to wear a mask in order to beat this enemy in light of all the medical and scientific information available to us. If we had succeeded, then you could have successful attempted to play a college football season now. We were wrong to inconvenience you because of our failings.