Something Bruin at UCLA
Football players ask for third-party health official to oversee team activities
Football players at UCLA took a stand in preparation for their return to campus for the season.
In order to protect themselves from catching the novel coronavirus, 30 players demanded the school bring in a “third-party health official” to ensure their football activities are safe and following health protocols, according to the Los Angeles Times,
The players made it clear they do not trust Chip Kelly and his program to act in their best interests at a time where safety is more important than ever. In the document where they demanded the thirdparty health official, the players also wrote that UCLA had “mismanaged” injuries in the past and the school had “perpetually failed us.”
The document also asked for anonymity protections for players and coaches who report violations and requested players get to keep their scholarship in the event they don’t feel safe showing up for the season.
“These demands reflect our call for an environment in which we do not feel pressured to return to competition, and if we choose not to return, that our decision will be respected,” the document said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “If our demands are not met, we will refrain from booster events, recruiting events and all football-related promotional activities.
“The decision to return to training amidst a global pandemic has put us, the studentathletes, on the frontlines of a battle that we as a nation have not yet been able to win. We feel that as some of the first members of the community to attempt a return to normalcy, we must have assurances that allow us to make informed decisions and be protected regardless of our decision.”
Voluntary workouts start on June 22 for UCLA.
The Los Angeles Times also reported that the school’s athletic department created a “task force” that’s been meeting for the past three or four weeks to prepare safety protocols in advance of the players’ return to campus. Matt Elliott, UCLA’s senior associate athletic director for internal operations, said the school would guarantee scholarships if players did choose to sit out the season. They will honor aid for all fall sports athletes through their season, but have not made any guarantees beyond that.
“We will evaluate subsequent terms to see where we are in the pandemic and what the health recommendations are for winter and spring,” Elliott said.
This document comes after increasing reports of coronavirus cases cropping up within NCAA football programs. On Friday, a report surfaced that 23 Clemson football players tested positive for the coronavirus. And just a couple days prior, 13 football players at the University of Texas tested positive or were presumed positive for coronavirus. In total, 23 football players at the University of Texas have entered self-isolation.
If schools are going to power through the pandemic and play sports anyways, it’s only right that college athletes look after themselves.