Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement Monday advocating for the college football season to go on as planned.
“I would like to address the rumors that are swirling today,” Harbaugh said in the statement. “I’m not advocating for football this fall because of my passion or our players desire to play but because of the facts accumulated over the last eight weeks since our players returned to campus on June 13.”
Harbaugh’s statement comes after commissioners of the Power 5 conferences held an emergency meeting on Sunday because of growing concerns among college athletics officials that the upcoming fall sports can’t be played because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the statement, Harbaugh makes a case for why a season could still safely go on, which includes the program having zero positive tests out of the last 353 administered, zero positive tests among the coaches or staff over the entire eight weeks of testing, following CDC guidelines and “self‐implemented stricter standards for contacting tracing in quarantining to prevent spread.”
“We have developed a great prototype for how we can make this work and provide the opportunity for players to play. If you are transparent and follow the rules, this is how it can be done.”
“I am forever proud of our players, parents, coaches and staff for being leaders and role models in our sport, at our institution and in society. We will continue to follow all health and safety guidelines, teach, train, and coach those young men and their families that have put their trust in us, while advocating for a football season in the fall.”
Harbaugh ended the statement with the hashtags, “#WEWANTTOPLAY” and “#WEWANTTOCOACH” in support of the players who came together Sunday night to create a joint statement that expressed their desire to play the 2020 season.