WESTWOOD—UCLA’s student council created a resolution lobbied by a former football player to be passed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and university officials to insure the protection of student athletes from COVID-19 on Wednesday, May 27.
Elijah Wade is a sophomore at UCLA from Las Vegas, Nevada. He played on the football team as a defensive lineman before retiring his uniform to become a representative for the student council.
The Pacific Conference for collegiate athletics on the West Coast, Pac-12, announced May 26 that schools can prepare to reopen this summer and have projected to allow football camps to resume in July.
The announcement sparked concerns for Wade and others about the treatment of Bruins’ athletes and any repercussions or negative impact that can fall on them. Wade shared a post via Instagram on May 27 discussing why the resolution was made stating:
“Student athletes have expressed concerns in regard to the lack of information and communication by UCLA and public officials on decisions currently being made. They have concerns that their health and well-being is being weighed against money for the university, its coaches, and administration.”
The resolution in support of Student-Athlete Agency and Autonomy would allow student athletes to make the decision on their participation without fear of scholarships being taken away or other retaliations.
The resolution was endorsed by the National College Players Association who sent out a press release regarding the matter with the following statement:
“The NCPA has endorsed the resolution and is asking all public officials across the nation issuing COVID-19 related orders and university leaders to adopt these safeguards.”
