Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Players, coaches say #WeWantToPlay
Florida, Florida State, UCF and USF may be bitter rivals on the football field, but they agree on one thing —they want to play college football this fall.
Players and coaches across the state of Florida joined a social media movement that started Sunday night and developed more intensity Monday, arguing they want to play during the 2020 season despite the Big Ten moving toward canceling all games due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even if the Big Ten follows through with a plan to postpone the college football season and pushes it to the spring as first reported by Sports Illustrated and ESPN, leaders at Florida, Florida State, Miami, UCF and USF are lobbying to play.
Sensing momentum for canceling the season, players and coaches have endorsed playing with some conditions, including strong safety protocol, protections for those who opt out and support for a players association. The growing call to essentially unionize college football players has added to an already tense discussion about how to proceed.
But for many coaches and players in the Southeast, the math is simple. They believe their teams can compete as safely as possible, they’ve worked hard and they want to play.
Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen offered his support for the #WeWantToPlay movement on Monday.
“I am so proud of our players. Their commitment to medical guidelines to stay safe has showed their resolve in preparing the right way for the season. They deserve to play this fall. They have worked so hard for this. Let’s fight for them and find a way. #WeWantToPlay,” Mullen posted on Twitter.
A UF source told the Orlando Sentinel during the weekend no Gators tested positive for COVID-19 or were quarantined due to exposure to the illness since mandatory workouts began July 14.
Prior to that, 21 Gators tested positive for the virus, the source said.
While the Mountain West Conference announced it was postponing all fall sports, the American Athletic Conference is hopeful it can compete in football and other fall sports.
“We would still like to play and we are keeping a close eye on what the A5 [Autonomous 5] conferences are doing,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told the Orlando Sentinel Monday evening.
A wide range of coaches and players used social media posts to endorse playing football in the fall.
“I fully support and stand proudly with our @USFFootball players #WeWantToPlay,” USF coach Jeff Scott posted on Twitter Monday morning.
The first-year Bulls coach threw his support behind a growing movement that began late Sunday after Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and other high profile players used social media to make the case why it is important to play the upcoming season.
“Let’s work together to create a situation where we can play the game that all of us love. Not divide and argue. There is a way forward,” Lawrence wrote in a series of tweets that highlighted reasons not playing would be detrimental to many college players.
Lawrence’s words and the hashtag #WeWantToPlay sparked online momentum as players and coaches from all conferences took to social media to voice their support for a season.
“I want to play… even if we gotta be locked in .. nothing at home for me,” UF running back Lorenzo Lingard, who joined the team as a transfer from Miami, shared on Twitter.
Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, who transferred to the Hurricanes after starting his career at Houston, tweeted “Yeah yeah let us play!” He later posted a graphic that began circulating Sunday night highlighting requests and demands that college football players in Power Five conferences came up with.
FSU offensive lineman Andrew Boselli, who battled and recovered from COVID-19, also threw his support behind the movement, tweeting, “#WeWantToPlay #WearAMask.”
UCF offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux also threw his support behind the movement by tweeting, “#WeWantToPlay.”
While the SEC and ACC reportedly were involved in a meeting with the other Power 5 conferences Sunday, they have been among the last leagues to make alterations to their upcoming schedules. When the Big Ten chose to go to with a conference-only football schedule on July 9, the SEC and ACC waited until the last week of July to set their schedule plans.
President Trump threw his support behind the player movement Monday afternoon.
“The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay,” said Trump in a tweet.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threw his support behind the players who are pushing to play a football season.
“They want to play,” said DeSantis. ”I support their efforts to do so. They shouldn’t have their season taken away from them.”
The AAC and UCF athletics director Danny White, meanwhile, have indicated they hope to play this fall, but they concede that their fate is tied to the Power 5 leagues. Perhaps most frustrating for UCF and fellow Group of 5 schools, they do not have a seat at the table as Power 5 leaders are expected to decide the fate of the 2020 season during the next few days.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Staff writer Edgar Thompson contributed to this report. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com.