#WeAreUnited: PAC-12 Athletes Unite In Letter Demanding Health Protections, Racial Justice, Economic Reforms

In a show of solidarity, a group of football players from the PAC-12 conference released an open letter Monday to the NCAA and to the conference “to protect and benefit both scholarship and walk-on athletes.” The players also threatened to opt-out of training camp and the upcoming football season if the demands are not implemented.

“To ensure future generations of college athletes will be treated fairly, #WeAreUnited,” the group said. “Because NCAA sports exploit college athletes physically, economically and academically, and also disproportionately harm Black college athletes, #WeAreUnited.”

“#WeAreUnited in our commitment to secure fair treatment for college athletes. Due to COVID-19 and other serious concerns, we will opt-out of Pac-12 fall camp and game participation unless the following demands are guaranteed in writing by our conference to protect and benefit both scholarship athletes and walk-ons.”

The demands by the players include introducing adequate COVID-19 safety measures for the upcoming season, reducing excessive expenditures, addressing racial injustice in college sports, and “economic freedom and equity” for college athletes. The latter of the four has been a sticking point for years between the NCAA and critics of the organization’s treatment of college players.

Under “economic freedom and equity,” players would have the freedom to profit off the use of their likeness without fear of punishment from the NCAA. The letter also demands medical coverage for college athletes, a 50% split of revenue between the conference and its athletes, six-year scholarships to promote “degree completions,” and several more freedoms.

Hundreds of PAC-12 players have voiced their support of the letter and already announced plans to sit out the upcoming season.

“I love football. I love football so much that I am willing to give it up if things are not done right and we are not in a safe environment,” UCLA defensive back Elisha Guidry said in a press release. “Every player that puts on these pads to play this game is a person with their own family, own friends, own passions, and own purpose that is greater than football. We want to play the game we love and have given so much of ourselves to, but we want to do it in a safe way.”

Other players, including Guidry’s teammate and starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, said they support the movement but still planned to play.

The letter appears to have also drawn the ire of some administrative and coaching staff in the PAC-12 who have been critical of the demands. This became apparent after Washington State wide receiver Kassidy Woods shared an audio recording of his phone call with head coach Nick Rolovich, who said Kassidy supporting this cause would create “an issue.”

“You know, if you, if you say, ‘I’m opting out ‘cause of COVID and health and safety,’ I’m good,” Rolovich said in the Saturday phone call shared to the Dallas Morning News. “But this group is gonna change, uh, I guess, how things go in the future for everybody, at least at our school. Um, so just think about that is, if it’s about getting paid and not (inaudible) about racial justice and that stuff. Then it’s probably, it’s there’s two sides, there’s two sides here. I’m good with the Sickle Cell and the COVID, and but this, this group is gonna be at a different level as far as how we’re kind of going to move forward in the future.”

The next day, Woods’ mother indicated he had been cut from the team and leading Woods to suggest his time at the school was over.

“The damage has already been done,” Woods told the Dallas Morning News. “Shoot, that’s all I’ve got to say about it. If had shown me they wanted me to stay, they wouldn’t have done all this. So, I’m not the problem here. I didn’t create the problem. They did.”

Washington State spokesperson Bill Stephens has since clarified that Woods was not cut and is still counted a member of the roster.