Once Again, Penn State Could Change College Football

The College Football Players Association sought to form a chapter at Penn State. It's quite a story.

Penn State football players held a players-only meeting in July with the head of the College Football Players Association that included references to unionizing, according to the CFBPA's executive director. What, if anything, comes of that could place Penn State at the forefront of change in college football once again.

According to Jason Stahl, executive director of the College Football Players Association, Penn State players met secretly with Stahl about CFBPA initiatives. Those included ideas for Big Ten revenue sharing and expanding access to medical care and insurance. Stahl also referenced potentially organizing a chapter of the CFBPA at Penn State.   

Stahl wrote in his Substack newsletter that Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford helped schedule the meeting, at which Stahl presented a list of demands they would take to the Big Ten Conference. The list included players receiving a share of Big Ten media rights revenue.

Stahl told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd that his presentation also included an option for unionizing.

"I first spoke with the leaders on the team in small groups and individually and then to the entire team," Stahl wrote in his newsletter. "All were excited to lead the first public campaign for the CFBPA."

However, Stahl continued, a Penn State staff member happened upon the meeting, which led to it becoming known among Big Ten coaches and administrators. Stahl then wrote that the Big Ten began a "campaign to turn our star player against the players association" that included inviting Clifford to join a Big Ten players committee.

Clifford later posted a statement to Twitter that called any union discussions "inaccurate." Clifford added that he and fellow players are "working at the campus and conference level to address the complexities of college athletics for student-athletes."

#WeAre pic.twitter.com/TDGBld8awC

— Sean Clifford (@seancliff14) July 22, 2022

In his newsletter, Stahl called the statement "disheartening," adding that "our first CFBPA leader had now been flipped." Stahl concluded that he is "looking for a different type of player leader," suggesting that the relationship between the CFBPA and Clifford had ended.

At Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday, Commissioner Kevin Warren said that the conference plans to amplify its Student-Athlete and Advisory Committee quickly. Players, including Clifford, met with Warren about joining that committee as the Big Ten negotiates its new media rights deal.

Warren said that he wants to be a "bold leader as we work through what's right for our student-athletes."

"I want to hear it from [the athletes]," Warren said. "I want to be a great listener to figure out what is important to them. It's so easy to talk about money and share money, but what does that really mean? I want to make sure that I listen and learn to be able to have big ears and a small mouth to truly understand what's important to them."

Penn State has helped bring change to college football for decades, from its appearance in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to its 1993 decision to join the Big Ten. Penn State also helped pave the road to instant replay in college football.

At Big Ten Media Days, Franklin and Clifford chose not to discuss specifics about the meeting. Clifford did say that he would like to help college athletes in the future.

Sean Clifford said he’s here to talk about football and won’t elaborate much beyond his statement last week pic.twitter.com/xc77Z5O8XF

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) July 27, 2022

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.