11 Pac-12 players sign letter to Larry Scott

The Pac-12 Player Unity Group and the #WeAreUnited movement has made headlines across the country after their story was published in the Players’ Tribune on Sunday. This past weekend, they also sent a letter to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, detailing other demands and seeking out daily meetings with Scott and fellow Pac-12 athletic directors.

The full letter, as obtained by Sports Illustrated, is below, as are the 11 players who signed it.

Larry Scott
Pac-12 Conference
360 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94107

To Mr. Scott and all Pac-12 athletic directors,

We are contacting you on behalf of hundreds of Pac-12 football players throughout the conference who are very concerned with the risks COVID-19 poses to our personal health and the health of our families and communities. The lack of health and safety standards and enforcement in NCAA sports is already playing a role in COVID-19 cases among athletes throughout the conference. We believe a football season under these conditions would be reckless and put us at needless risk.

The lack of regard for our health and safety is central to the systemic racial injustices imposed by NCAA sports that disproportionately exploits Black athletes physically, academically, and financially. Black athletes make up the majority of revenue sports rosters but have the lowest graduation rates and are denied basic economic rights and freedoms.

Due to COVID-19 health risks and other serious concerns, hundreds of us are choosing to opt-out of football camp, practices, and games until each of our demands are met. Attached to this letter is our statement of unity as well as our demands that will ensure that all Pac-12 athletes now and for generations to come are treated fairly.

We are requesting daily Zoom meetings with you, our Player Representative Team beginning on Monday August 3rd at 8:00pm with Mr. Scott and our athletic directors until our demands are met. Please contact us at [REDACTED] to arrange the details.

Sincerely,

Dallas Hobbs, Washington State
Cody Shear, Arizona State
Jaydon Grant, Oregon State
Valentino Daltoso, UC Berkeley
Chase Williams, USC
Elijah Higgins, Stanford
Jevon Holland, University of Oregon
Joe Tryon, University of Washington
Malik Hausman, University of Arizona
Nick Ford, University of Utah
Otito Ogbonnia, UCLA