RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he supports the growing number of college football players who have recently taken to social media to say they want to play in 2020.
Several high-profile players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, voiced their opinions on the college football season, sharing the hashtag #WeWantToPlay.
#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/jvQhE7noGB
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 10, 2020
There’s been too much work put in!! #WeWantToPlay
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) August 10, 2020
The social media movement comes as the commissioners of the Power 5 conferences reportedly held an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the possibility of canceling or postponing the season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"They want to play, and I support their efforts to do so," DeSantis said.
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DeSantis, who played college baseball at Yale, said he is not only in favor of playing college football, "which is very important in the state of Florida," but all fall sports.
"These students work their whole lives to be able to get to this point and, you know, they shouldn't have their season taken away from them," DeSantis told reporters. "There's never anything you do in life that is entirely risk-free. I think the risks, in this case, to them are very low, but I think they can make that assessment for themselves."
Several college football players in Florida have already opted out of the 2020 season, notably Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau.
DeSantis said he looks forward to seeing "all of our student-athletes being able to compete at the collegiate level this year."
