UW parent: Let players decide if they want to play
MADISON – Kristin Maskalunas wants to see Wisconsin and the rest of the Big Ten play football in 2020.
Maskalunas insists she is aware of the potential risks COVID-19 presents but believes the players should be allowed to decide whether they choose to accept those risks and play this season or opt out and wait until the fall of 2021.
That includes her son, Mike Maskalunas,
a walk-on linebacker who is entering his fifth year in the UW program.
“These aren’t children,” Kristin Maskalunas said by phone Monday. “These are grown men who have the ability to make decisions for themselves…They are completely able to opt in or opt out themselves.”
The Big Ten is on the cusp of shutting down fall sports and attempting to play football in the second semester.
An announcement could come Tuesday.
Many UW players have used social media to share their desire to play football in 2020.
According to a UW official, the team held its first workout of preseason camp on Monday. No players or coaches were made available for interviews, however.
“This is such a heart-breaker,” Kristin Maskalunas said of the impending shutdown. “I don’t know what everybody is thinking. The world has lost its mind.”
According to Kristin Maskalunas, her son is pursuing a double major in commercial real estate and finance and is on track to graduate in December. Moving the 2020 season to the second semester would force him and others to adjust.
“Now he is at an impasse,” she said. “What does he do now? My son needs this season to even have a consideration for the NFL.
"You have kids who are going to graduate. You have kids who are walk-ons that maybe can’t afford to go another year. The team is going to look different in the spring. You can’t deny that. It is going to be disruptive. And at what cost?”