Oregon State junior Jaydon Grant is the Beavers’ front man for the Pac-12 Football Unity, a movement by a group of players asking the conference for change when it comes to COVID-19 safety, race issues and revenue sharing.
Grant told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he’s “willing to sit” out part or all of the 2020 football season if their COVID-19 protocols aren’t put in place for player safety.
Asked how much support there is among Oregon State players for the movement, Grant said he would “only speak for myself, but I’m willing to stand on what I believe in. Yeah, I’m willing to sit if there isn’t the right precautions, and the right protocols in place to where we feel comfortable and feel assured that our health and safety will not be compromised by the pandemic.”
Grant said he spoke with Oregon State coaches regarding his belief on this matter, even before it became public Sunday.
“I didn’t want them to feel like they’ve been blindsided,” Grant said. “They’ve told me they’re proud of me, told me they support me. They understand it’s really not about Oregon State but it’s about the system.”
Grant said with training camps opening as early as Aug. 17, it’s crunch time for player discussions with the Pac-12. Grant says he believes the Pac-12 takes the players’ cause seriously, but “they’re not moving urgently enough. Are we going to wait until somebody in the Pac-12 is seriously affected by the coronavirus, or God forbid, somebody dies from the coronavirus?
“It’s not something that can wait. It needs to be addressed, especially before we start moving on to that next stage.”
According to Sports Illustrated, the player group is meeting with Pac-12 officials Thursday night on a Zoom call.
Grant praises Oregon State for its handling of the pandemic. He said the locker room generally has a sparse population and players are appropriately spaced. Grant credits OSU’s coaches, training and medical staff for protocols that are in place.
Regardless, Grant wonders what the hurry is to get back to the field.
“In what aspect is football essential?” Grant said. “Tell me how many lives were saved by playing football. I don’t know if anyone has an answer for that.”
Here is the entire interview:
-- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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