Michigan, Ohio State Join Forces For Justin Fields Petition
Michigan, Ohio State Join Forces For Justin Fields Petition
Michigan, Ohio State Join Forces For Justin Fields Petition
Michigan and Ohio State are joining forces in support of Justin Fields’ petition to resume Big Ten college football play in 2020.
Last week, as a result of COVID-19, the Big Ten voted to delay college football action until 2021 at the soonest.
That did not sit well with Fields, who has expressed a desire to play next year. In response, he launched a petition that has accumulated more than 220,000 signatures.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, on ESPN Radio right now, brings up the seniors first when asked about his #WeWantToPlay petition to save the season. “We owe it to those guys first.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 17, 2020
“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season,” the petition notes.
“Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penalty or repercussion.”
Michigan, Ohio State Are United In This Mission
The desire to have Big Ten football in 2020 is so strong that it is even uniting rivals. In the last 48 hours, Michigan players crossed the battle lines and expressed vocal support for Fields’ petition.
“I maintain the stance that other players and I want to play in a situation that is made as safe as possible and work with the conference and NCAA in order to determine a solution that addresses the concerns that college athletes have and finding a way to ensure that every school is adhering to a uniform set of protocols,” Wolverines defensive back Hunter Reynolds said this weekend.
Listening to ESPN radio talking about Justin Fields petition. ESPN said the Big Ten personally requested to the NCAA not to allow waivers, so if they were to reverse they have to walk that back. So behind the scenes the Big Ten and Presidents were low key sabotaging.
— jbook™ (@jbook37) August 17, 2020
The problem for all involved is the fact that there are major liability issues at play for the Big Ten. It is hard to see a scenario where the conference suddenly decides those legal matters are unimportant simply because a bunch of players and fans call on them to change their minds.
The Big Ten is losing a lot of money by not playing next season. The reason why it has decided to take that financial hit is because it anticipates that the financial hit from playing will be greater. Until someone can prove out that this will not be the case, it is difficult to see a scenario where anyone budges or changes their minds.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
“Until someone can prove out that this will not be the case, it is difficult to see a scenario where anyone budges or changes their minds.” The ACC, the SEC, and the Big 12 don’t seem to be afraid to play.