Parents, Players Put Up One Last Fight to Save Fall Football Season

Takisha Penix, the mother of Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr., says she would have been "comfortable if they had played'' football this fall, but she understands the decision. Other parents around the league are pushing back.

Tom Brew | Aug 17, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — First it was the players, and their #WeWantToPlay hashtag. And now, from one end of the Big Ten footprint to the other, the parents are chiming in, too.

They want their kids to play. And not in the spring, or next fall. They want them to play now, just like the SEC, ACC and Big 12 plan on doing, and they completely disagree with the Big Ten erasing the fall season last week.

And they aren't just talking about it, they're in action.

Parents from Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State and Nebraska sent a letter to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren demanding he rescind the league's decision, and they want an answer by Wednesday. They are pushing Warren into a corner, and it will be interesting to see if he's willing to listen.

“I think the way this was handled was atrocious,” Tim Ford, the father of Illinois tight end Luke Ford, told the Chicago Tribune via text. “Everything we do in life has risks and in football, there are known risks and unknown risks. To take away a season based on what could happen and not even give the kids that did opt in a chance, was wrong.”

The parents know the risks of COVID-19. So do players, coaches and medical professionals on all 14 campuses.

Weighing both sides of the issues isn't easy, especially when that's your child out there taking the risk.

"I wish they would have had a season, but it's hard to explain with everything that's going on with the virus,'' said Takisha Penix, the mother of Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. "There are two sides for sure, and as parents, we would love to watch them all play, but we don't know how this virus would affect them.

"There were a lot of protocols in place, and I was comfortable with all of that. I would have been comfortable if they had played. But you never know what might happen away from football, because you don't know what all those other kids on campus are doing, You could go to the grocery story one time and catch it.''

The great debate, even after the decision

Prior to the Big Ten's decision to postpone the fall season, many players spoke up about wanting to have a voice in the decisions being made. That didn't happen, as presidents quickly decided to punt the season down the road. The Pac-12 followed a day later and did the same.

But the SEC, ACC and Big 12 read the tea leaves differently when it comes to research on the virus. They feel like it's safe to go forward.

Many players and parents in the Big Ten feel the same way, that Warren and the league presidents have pulled the plug too quickly, because they're confident that it can be done properly.

Purdue's latest round of testing, for example, included zero positive test results. Michigan, too. Coach Jim Harbaugh is convinced this can be done safely, and he wants to play in the fall, too.

"We have shown over the weeks since returning to campus that we could meet the challenge and provide our student-athletes the opportunity of a fall football season,'' Harbaugh said. "Our football team, our coaching staff, our support staff, our support staff in Schembechler Hall have all stepped up, followed every rule, and done everything in their power magnificently to give all the opportunity to compete.

"I am extremely proud, thankful and appreciative of our team and how they have conducted and represented our program and university."

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, a Heisman Trophy candidate, took the initiative on Sunday, asking for a petition to be signed to get the Big Ten to change their minds. By Monday afternoon, he had nearly a quarter of a million signatures.

"We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season," the petition reads. "Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penality or repercussion."

Prior to the Big Ten's decision, several big-name Big Ten players opted out playing this season for safety reasons, mostly notably receivers Rondale Moore of Purdue and Rashad Bateman of Minnesota. There certainly would be more if the fall season had proceeded, but the players say they should at least have that chance.

The worst part of it, of course, is that there is legitimate concern over long-term ramifications from the virus, and these heart-related concerns are what triggered the Big Ten to make its move last week. At least 15 Big Ten players have been left with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19, a high-ranking source within the Big Ten told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. Indiana freshman offensive lineman Brady Feeney is one of those 15.

There's a lot to be concerned about, and not just on the football field.

"But there's also going to be risk for them just going back to school,'' Takisha Penix said. "I was excited when the schedule came out, because when they did that, I really thought they were going to play. But I'm willing to accept whatever is best for the kids.

"I'm not too worried about Michael, because he's very responsible and he does the right things. He knows what he needs to do. He did that at home too when they had to leave Indiana. He didn't really leave the house except to go work out.''

When some of the Indiana players were able to talk last week prior to the announcement, they talked about feeling safe with the school's protocols. No one's said otherwise.

The Indiana parents are comfortable, too.

"I do feel good about everything that Indiana has been doing to keep them safe,'' Penix said. "They've done a great job of keeping us informed. Our conference calls, the coaches, trainers and doctors, they answer all of our questions, and there's been a lot of them.''

The hard push from players and parents has a lot to do with the fact that most people don't like the idea of a spring season. It's never happened before, so when it starts or how long it lasts is the great unknown.

"I worry about the spring because there wouldn't be much recovery time. And we have no clue if the virus is going to go away by then,'' Penix said. "How long do we keep postponing? I know there's some risk, but these kids, they play football with a lot of risk on every play anyway.''

Scary times for seniors especially

No fall season? That hurts a little. What about no spring season either, if it can't happen? It's going to be hard on everyone, but it's especially difficult on the seniors, who don't know if they get one last run or not.

A perfect example, actually, is Michael Penix's former teammate, Peyton Ramsey. As a grad transfer who was looking at not starting again at Indiana, the quarterback decided to transfer to Northwestern for his fifth and final year.

Now he has no idea what comes next.

Ramsey's father Doug, a high school coach in Cincinnati whose team is playing this fall, told the Chicago Tribune that the message parents got from doctors prior to the decision didn't mesh with Warren's comments about what the season was stopped.

“Look, I’m not crazy,” Ramsey told the Tribune. “I understand we have a serious issue. But at the same time, I’m not sure we have to give everything up. We had a meeting in school with the police to go over school shooting procedures. We teach kids that when (a shooter) comes in the room, you attack them. If you sit in the corner, you die.

“There was a difference, I’m sure, between what the coaches think and what the doctors in charge think, and that’s probably a good thing. They’re either really good actors or they thought the protocols were good and would allow them to play.”

For a lot of seniors, missing out on a final season means missing out on a potential NFL career, too.

"I do feel bad for the seniors, if this is it,'' Penix said. "If there's no season, hopefully they'll get another year of eligibility. But for some of them, they're missing out on something big.

"Look at Joe Burrow at LSU last year. He wouldn't have all he has right now if he would have missed his senior year. It really matters to a lot of kids. Michael, he still has time. I just hope we figure out this virus soon.''

The great debate, even after the decision

Scary times for seniors especially

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