Amid COVID-19, Donde Plowman said the Tennessee football Volunteers players want to play.
It’s hard to no what to think of the current situation for college football. We know the Big Ten discussed canceling the season over the weekend, and it appears that’s still their plan. Players across the nation responded saying they want to play, including Tennessee football players.
While there have been some outliers, specific players who have spoken up and voiced their concerns about playing, the #WeWantToPlay hashtag still hasn’t stopped trending all over the place. As a result, it appears that many players want to play despite coronavirus.
Amidst this backdrop, University of Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman met with the Tennessee football team on Monday. Plowman tweeted out an image of her meeting and said, after asking the players if they want to play, their answer was that they did.
This afternoon, I met with our football team and staff to have an open conversation about playing football this fall. At the end of our discussion, I asked if they wanted to play football and the answer was a resounding YES. pic.twitter.com/cg9AFw4J86
— Donde Plowman (@DondePlowman) August 10, 2020
As you can see, Plowman was with Jeremy Pruitt and Phillip Fulmer in one photo, and she was speaking to the team in another. Take what you want from that, but this seems to be another win for people who want the season to happen.
Now, how this all works itself out, we don’t know. What’s clear is that the SEC made the right decision at this point going to all-conference games and delaying the start of the season until Sept. 26. There are clearly things people need to work out.
However, the support for playing is high right now, and it’s across the country. We have already covered the #WeWantToPlay hashtag, and we also covered Trey Smith going on ESPN saying it’s worth the risk for him to play despite the blood clots in his lungs.
If they have to do something like a bubble for the season, then at this point, that’s fine. School will be mostly virtual anyway. What’s clear is that many on Tennessee football’s team and across the country feel they have worked too hard to not get the chance to play. As a result, they need to figure something out.