Justin Fields has created a petition to reinstate the Big 10 conferences football season. This news comes after a tweet he put out on August 16th.
Fields was a standout quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes this past season. He created the petition with the intention of convincing key personnel within the Big 10 to reverse their decision. The big names that the petition is specifically addressed to are Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, Big Ten University Presidents, and Big Ten Athletic Directors. As of 11 PM PST on August 17th, the petition has 264,615 signatures and a goal of 300,000.
Statement
The petition also includes a statement on behalf of Fields and those who have signed the petition.
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. 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 penalty or repercussion… We want to play. We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to COVID 19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in vain. #LetUsPlay!
Further Reasoning
Fields continued his push to reinstate the season with an appearance on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin. He explained his main motivation for pushing for a college football season.
“My biggest message to them would just be to get them [Big 10 Presidents] to realize how bad our players want to play and just the guys that are coming back for their fifth year, coming back off of injury, I think that we owe it to those guys the most”.
Justin Fields is coming off a season in which he helped the Buckeyes reach the College Football Playoffs. There, they suffered a loss at the hands of the Clemson Tigers in the Fiesta Bowl. Fields threw for 3273 yards, 41 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions in his sophomore year with Ohio State. He led the Big 10 in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total yards in his first season as a starter. Fields and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence figure to be the top 2 quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Fields draft stock will likely take no hit from the cancellation of the season. However, many of his teammates and those eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft may not be as fortunate.
