The nation's top two quarterbacks, among others, have come together in an attempt to save the college football season and call for a college football players' union.
Ohio State's Justin Fields and Clemson's Trevor Lawrence were among players from all five Power 5 conferences who shared a graphic on social media just after midnight on Monday with two hashtags – #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay – while calling for universal health and safety protocols to protect college athletes against COVID-19, the opportunity for players to opt in or out of the season, guaranteed eligibility regardless of whether a player chooses to play this season and perhaps most notably, “open communication & trust between players and officials” to “ultimately create a college football players association.”
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/NgKG9Nab9c
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) August 10, 2020
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/jvQhE7noGB
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 10, 2020
Other notable players who shared the graphic early Monday morning included Ohio State running back Master Teague III, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, Miami quarterback D'Eriq King, Alabama running back Najee Harris, Texas wide receiver Tarik Black and California offensive tackle Jake Curhan, one of the players behind the #WeAreUnited movement first launched by Pac-12 players in a Players Tribune post last Sunday.
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/saotI17lXn
— Master W. Teague III (@MasterTeagueIII) August 10, 2020
— Spencer Rattler (@SpencerRattler) August 10, 2020
— King (@DeriqKing_) August 10, 2020
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/6kTPmMTR8s
— Najee Harris (@ohthatsNajee22) August 10, 2020
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/GuydsFWTdx
— Tarik Black (@LetmeRockk_) August 10, 2020
#WeAreUnited x #WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/bel4dXZITm
— Jake Curhan (@curhan71) August 10, 2020
Clemson running back Darien Rencher said he and Lawrence spoke with representatives from every Power 5 conferences on a Zoom call to collaborate on a unified message.
@Trevorlawrencee & I got together with representatives from every Power 5 conference via Zoom Call and this is what we decided upon
— (@D_Rench_) August 10, 2020
Pac 12 movement and #BigTenUnited were in collaboration with us. All together a step toward one collective voice
The graphic comes hours after an ESPN report that Big Ten presidents are “ready to pull the plug” on playing football this fall and that a meeting between Power 5 commissioners was held Sunday in which the Big Ten “wanted to gauge if commissioners and university presidents and chancellors from the other Power 5 conferences – the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC – will fall in line with them.”
Many other Ohio State players also sent out tweets with the #WeWantToPlay hashtag on Sunday night.
