A group of football players at the University of California Los Angeles has banded together to demand that the university provides a “third-party health official” to watch over the team as it prepares for games this fall.
During a virtual meeting on Friday, 30 members of the UCLA football squad agreed they were on the “frontlines of a battle” against the coronavirus and would file a statement of grievances alleging that the university “perpetually failed” them and “mismanaged injury cases.”
“The decision to return to training amidst a global pandemic has put us, the student-athletes, on the frontlines of a battle that we as a nation have not yet been able to win,” the document reads. “We feel that as some of the first members of the community to attempt a return to normalcy, we must have assurances that allow us to make informed decisions and be protected regardless of our decision.”
The document’s release comes only days before voluntary practices are scheduled to begin on Monday. Players questioned whether the university would honor scholarships if they decided against participating in this season because of the coronavirus.
UCLA’s Senior Associate Athletic Director Matt Elliott assured players that the university is home to a “world-class medical center” and added that the school would provide aid to athletes through the fall regardless of their decision to return.
“These demands reflect our call for an environment in which we do not feel pressured to return to competition, and if we choose not to return, that our decision will be respected,” added players in the document. “If our demands are not met, we will refrain from booster events, recruiting events and all football-related promotional activities.”
