On Sunday, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields created a petition on the MoveOn website asking Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, Big Ten presidents and Big Ten athletic directors to “immediately reinstate the 2020 football season.”
This cause is close to my heart – please sign: https://t.co/yFKlYE7pP0
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) August 16, 2020
“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,” the petition reads.
In the “Why is this important?” section, the petition reads: “We want to play. We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to Covid 19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in vain. #LetUsPlay!”
Fields tweeted out the petition at 11:11 on Sunday. By 2:48 p.m., it reached 100,000 signatures.
The Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 that it would be postponing all fall sports, including football, until 2021, where the conference will attempt to put a spring schedule in place. Fields’ petition comes a day after the Football Parents at Ohio State, or FPAOS, wrote a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren asking for the fall season to be reinstated.
Fields is a junior, and can opt out of the season to enter the 2021 NFL Draft if he decides he wants to do so.
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