USC football players send letter to Newsom asking to play

LA schools given permission to practice

Adam Helfstein, Alex Gaspar, and Eric Yeung|September 24, 2020

In an announcement made in August, the Pac-12 Conference reported that it had unanimously decided to postpone the conference’s college football season until at least the end of the year.

On Sept. 15 starting quarterback for the University of Southern California Kedon Slovis along with other USC athletes released a letter directly addressed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

The letter begins with a sub-statement, addressing the known fact that three other Power Five conferences, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Big 12 are all playing football this season.

“We have sat by for two weeks watching teams across the country play the game we love safely,” Slovis wrote in the letter. “Most schools have a fraction of the resources that our school and conference have provided to play safely. You are the only thing holding us back.”

The letter initially released by Slovis was reposted by fellow student-athletes and gained heavy traction on social media.

Coaches throughout the conference supported Slovis and his statement. USC offensive coordinator, Graham Harrel, spoke on the matter in response to the trending letter. 

“The last month I’ve watched our team train under tents, outside, in a makeshift weight room. Even with the postponement of our season they have shown up everyday. They have done EVERYTHING asked of them and simply want an opportunity. I support our players, let’s play ball!” Harrel wrote on twitter.

In a press briefing, Newsom directly addressed the concerns, stating that “there’s nothing in the guidelines saying the Pac-12 cannot move forward.”

Despite the current restrictions that don’t allow groups larger than 12 to train together and the prohibition of indoor training, the stage is set for Pac-12 football to return.

On Sept. 12, USC and UCLA worked together in hopes of salvaging their seasons. Reports from various sources have predicted that USC and UCLA, along with several other Pac-12 schools, are on the verge of beginning full-on practices with county approval.

With USC and UCLA appearing to be on-track for a fall season, the Oak Park High School football team is hoping similar announcements will be made for them.

“I believe this is great news for the team considering that we are starting back up soon as well. We are all looking forward to it and excited to get back on the field,” senior and varsity quarterback Richard Russillo wrote to the Talon.