After a group of Pac-12 players released a list of demands to guarantee a safe college football season this fall, that same group says that the conference’s commissioner is not taking their concerns about the coronavirus seriously. According to a New York Times report, commissioner Larry Scott was condescending in a meeting on Thursday about the players’ letter in the Players Tribune, and that they felt the meeting was not “very productive.”
Ahead of the meeting, the players reportedly had two main goals: to increase the frequency of coronavirus testing both before and during the season, and protecting players who decided to opt out due to health issues. According to the Times report, neither of those goals were accomplished, or even close to accomplished after meeting with Scott.
UCLA junior defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia said that Scott called the Players Tribune article a “misguided P.R. stunt,” leaving the players feeling like the conference is not matching its words with actions:
He boasted how progressive the conference has been in giving the players a voice, but the way he treated us didn’t reflect that. I don’t think he thought of us as people who were making a legitimate case.
Further, the players left the meeting with the impression that Scott will not meet with them again, deferring them to the conference’s medical advisory board for future meetings. This leaves the future of the season in doubt, as the players said in the Players Tribune article that they will hold out of training camps and games if their demands are not met.
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Read the full story at The New York Times
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