Coronavirus and college football: 5 things to know Monday

As a new week dawns, that remains to be seen.

Here are five things to know from a busy weekend in college football:

1. Justin Fields still wants to play.

Credit: Steven Branscombe

Credit: Steven Branscombe

The Ohio State quarterback started a petition Sunday requesting the Big Ten “immediately reinstate the 2020 football season.”

It had over 200,000 signatures by Monday morning.

The junior told ESPN Radio his desire to play is predominantly about his love for playing football and his belief it can be done safely through the protocols established by Ohio State and in place since players returned to campus for practice in June.

“I think Covid-19 brings a risk to everybody, but the question I would like to ask you is would we be more safe on campus playing football or off campus doing whatever,” Fields said (via bucknuts.com). “Covid, people could contract it anywhere, but for me personally, I feel safer at the facility and around my teammates, knowing my teammates will be tested twice a week.

“That is the safest environment for me and my teammates, I think. I would argue that at the facility my teammates are safer than just being out and about.”

2. Many parents also want the Big Ten to play — or at least offer more answers about the decision not to play.

Fields’ father, Pablo, was among the parents of Ohio State players to share a letter on social media asking the Big Ten to reconsider its decision, even if that only means putting off an eventual cancelation.

The parents also asked for “full transparency to coaches, players and parents regarding data used to make your decision,” and for teams that want to play be allowed to do so even if other league members opt not to field teams this fall.

Appearing on Big Ten Network last week, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren did not offer much in terms of explanation for why the season was canceled aside from citing “uncertainty” multiple times.

3. Sports Illustrated reported parents could bring legal action against the Big Ten.

Tom Mars, a high-profile attorney who has worked with players including Fields on waivers to gain immediate eligibility after transferring, told SI he had written a 2-page plan at parents’ request “to mitigate concerns and legal risks of playing college football” this fall.

That includes overturning a recent NCAA ban on colleges requiring players to sign liability waivers that would shield the school from legal action if players are infected with COVID-19 playing football and suffer long-term effects.

Players’ rights movements in the Pac-12 and Big Ten initially supported the ban, as do a pair of U.S. Senators considering legislation aimed at the NCAA, but its adoption has been seen as a major factor in schools shying away from trying to play football this fall.

According to The Associated Press, parents from Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska have also sent letters to the conference.

4. Some other conferences still intend to play.

At least for now.

The ACC, SEC, Big 12 and AAC (including the UC Bearcats) are among conferences still planning to play football this fall, though that could change — especially if students returning to campus creates an unmanageable number of cases.

Per SI:

LSU coach Ed Orgeron told Fox News last week his program anticipated a wave of new cases when students returned, but the SEC’s Sept. 26 season-opening date was made with that in mind.

5. It might all hinge on testing.

The NCAA’s chief medical officer told CNN the current state of coronavirus testing is not sufficient to allow college sports to be held safely, but the weekend also produced a potential life-preserver for fall sports.

A saliva-based test (developed in research sponsored in part by the NBA) received FDA approval Saturday and could allow for much more testing with much faster results for much less money.

Depending on how fast it rolls out and becomes available locally, fall sports teams could take advantage of the new method to test large groups frequently and without the prohibitive cost of the current tests in the widest use.