UCLA football players seek additional health protections for playing during pandemic

A group of UCLA football players shared a document with their coaches in an effort to seek clarity and different conditions related to playing and practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document came about after coaches met with players and parents during the week to talk about the situation. The players then wrote the letter. According to J. Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times, one part of the letter states that players do not trust the football program to act in their best interest during the current public health situation.

The players are asking UCLA to provide a “third-party health official” to be on hand at all program activities to ensure that COVID-19 prevention guidelines are being followed by the coaching staff. They also request that they are provided anonymous whistleblower protections so players and staff can report violations without fear of reprisals, as well as assurances that players will not lose scholarships or be punished in other ways if they decline to return to campus over health fears.

In a more inflammatory part, the letter says the program has “perpetually failed us” and cites “neglected and mismanaged injury cases,” though no examples are provided.

McCollough notes that UCLA players were given less than a week’s notice regarding the start of voluntary workouts. Players have not been given clear answers about what will happen to their scholarships if they choose not to play.