Owls want to play in 2020, believe they can do so in safe manner
Amid multiple FBS conferences postponing their fall sports seasons, Conference USA is reportedly “holding firm” on playing its football season in the fall — a plan for which multiple FAU football players expressed comfort and desire.
The Stadium reported Monday evening that C-USA’s plan to play football this fall remains the same even with Old Dominion announcing it has canceled its 2020 fall athletic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report came one day before the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall sports season Tuesday afternoon with the intent of playing in the spring, becoming the third and fourth FBS conferences, respectively, to put a hold on their seasons in addition to the Mid-American and Mountain West conferences.
C-USA previously announced its return-to-play scheduling format for the 2020 football season, which involved keeping the eight-game conference slate for each team while allowing schools to play up to four nonconference games, a plan multiple Owls said they’re OK with as long as it’s safe.
“It’s a difficult decision, but at the end of the day I want to play and our team wants to play,” FAU quarterback Nick Tronti said. “As long as we have safety measures put into place, are smart about it and everyone does what they’re supposed to, I don’t think it should be a big problem.”
Tronti’s words echoed the sentiments of many college athletes around the country, including FAU offensive lineman Sebastien Dolcine and cornerback Korel Smith who posted the #WeWantToPlay hashtag on Twitter this week.
“Every competitor wants to play,” Smith wrote in a tweet with two #WeWantToPlay hashtags. “Don’t take what we love away.”
FAU started its fall camp last Wednesday and completed its sixth day of practice Tuesday morning. Multiple players have praised the precautions the program has taken to help keep them as safe as possible.
“I can say to the school’s part that they’re upholding their end of the bargain as far as protocols,” linebacker Ahman Ross said.
A few days after the start of practices, FAU safety Quran Hafiz announced he was opting out the 2020 season due to the pandemic — becoming the first Owl to do so — citing the health and safety of his family, son and himself as his reasoning.
“Everyone that decides to optout, they have to do what’s best for themselves,” quarterback Justin Agner said. “We don’t know the long-term effects of what this virus might do. We just don’t know enough about it.
“I know some people on the team have kids, so they have to look out for them, their family and their children. It’s just the way the world is today.”
The NCAA is allowing student-athletes to opt-out of the fall 2020 season “due to concerns about contracting COVID-19” without losing their scholarship, but whether they’ll be able to retain the year of eligibility is unknown.
The NCAA said in March it would grant spring-sport athletes another year of eligibility after their seasons were canceled.