Dear Editor,

I would like to provide a differing of opinion when it comes to the NCAA bringing back football. I do agree that not everything has been perfect from an NCAA perspective, but not much of anything can be perfect when it comes to this pandemic.

This football season is very important for many athletes, and they were the main ones advocating for a season. Would the NCAA lose a lot of money if there was no season this year? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean that the decision to play was strictly a money-making decision. These athletes have worked their entire lives to get to where they are now and taking their season away from them wouldn’t be fair to them.

Every player was given the option to opt out before the season, so if players were concerned with the safety of playing then they could have sat out the season. Most of these athletes are in the very low risk category when it comes to COVID, so as long as they aren’t spreading it to families and communities then there shouldn’t be much of an issue

The NCAA and each league within it have specific protocols designed for safety once a player records a positive test. Overall, I think the NCAA has done a good job of handling the situation and maintaining everyone’s safety. Keep in mind also that state and local governments also had to approve of this, so it doesn’t all fall into the hands of the NCAA.

During a situation and a time with so many unknowns, the NCAA is doing everything they can to keep everybody safe and give these athletes the season that they deserve.

Griffin Tunison, Grade 12.