Big Ten Athletes Announced Their Own Unity Proposal For Fall Sports

Following the lead of Pac-12 athletes, the athletes of the Big Ten have stepped forward in a new article at the Players Tribune to lay out their own proposal for how fall sports should happen this year, if they are to happen at all. Their letter was penned in conjunction with College Athlete Unity, a nationwide organization of college athletes that seeks to “effect positive change” in the NCAA.

It was released, likely not coincidentally, on the same day the Big Ten announced a condensed college football schedule that is set to begin in less than a month.

“The NCAA — which is known for its zeal for regulations and enforcement — has had ample time to prepare for the safe return of its athletes to competition, yet it has done nothing,” the statement reads. “Its laissez-faire approach is forcing each conference and each school to create its own plan, resulting in inconsistent policies, procedures and protocols.

“Given that the NCAA and conference leadership have not asked for our input, we feel compelled to call for clarity, commitment, and action regarding our common-sense proposal below.”

The Big Ten athletes go on to list their demands for a successful fall sports schedule. The big bullet points include:

• Third-party testing staff as well as a third party to enforce all public health protocols, and “sufficient penalty for noncompliance” and a requirement for all athletic staff to report violations
• “Adherence to WHO and CDC guidance for sporting events and compliance with all federal, state, and local statutes and regulations” with regard to attendance and fan interaction
• Appropriate social distancing, masking, sanitation and temperature checks across all sports
• Highly accurate, quick-result testing three times per week as well as extensive contact tracing and strict quarantine rules for those who test positive or come into close contact with an infected individual
• Protect “whistleblowers” who come forward to report noncompliance and ban COVID-19 waivers for college athletes
• Continued scholarship funding if sports are delayed or canceled, as well as coverage by schools for medical expenses related to COVID-19 in the short- and long-term

With athletes from two Power 5 conferences now aligned on a sweeping set of demands that would go a long way toward securing collegiate sports complexes and caring for the people on the field, the ball is now in the court of the NCAA and the conference commissioners when it comes to how to protect student-athletes playing during a pandemic.