Sectors of major college football appear to be on the brink of cancellation for the 2020 season. But many players are still holding steady in their movement to keep hope alive, which began Sunday evening with the #WeWantToPlay hashtag.
Many of Gus Malzahn's players have taken to social media spheres to voice their steadfast support, as well. And Malzahn's starting quarterback localized it further, claiming the Tigers are safer playing football on the Plains this fall than not.
In a statement on Twitter, Bo Nix, a rising sophomore who started all 13 games last season, said it would be worse to keep Auburn players off the field than to allow them to play games this coming semester.
"Thanks to the support of the ENTIRE Auburn administration, we are safer playing a football season," Nix tweeted. "We have worked our entire lives to get to where we are now. Don’t let it go to waste.
"We need football. Listen to the players #WeWantToPlay."
The other half of the current Iron Bowl starting quarterbacks, Alabama's Mac Jones, delivered a similar message Monday afternoon.
“We believe the safest place for us is to be together playing football as a team at the University of Alabama," Jones shared on his Twitter. "Trust us and let us play."
Shortly after Nix's statement, the Mountain West Conference canceled its fall season, leaving eight of 10 FBS programs still standing.
According to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, SEC school presidents and chancellors are holding a previously unscheduled meeting Monday evening to discuss the recent happenings among the Power Five. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are reportedly close to cancelling their seasons and want to include all Power Five conferences in a uniform decision.
The SEC isn't following anyone's lead but its own, however.
"Best advice I’ve received since COVID-19: Be patient. Take time when making decisions," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey tweeted Monday. "This is all new and you’ll gain better information each day. [The SEC] has been deliberate at each step since March ... slowed return to practice ... delayed first game to respect start of fall semester ... developed testing protocols. We know concerns remain."
Sankey conceded the SEC doesn't hold all the answers, since no one in college football has ever had to navigate a season amid the circumstances he and his conference colleagues are facing. "Can we play? I don't know," the fifth-year commissioner admitted.
"We haven’t stopped trying," Sankey continued. "We support, educate and care for student-athletes every day, and will continue to do so every day."
On Auburn's campus, preseason practices are set to open Aug. 17, the same day classes begin for the fall semester at the university.
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