Leaders of the Pac-12's #WeAreUnited players' movement "lashed out at the conference in an email Friday evening, describing their feelings as disappointed and deeply concerned" following the two sides holding their first call Thursday night, which "focused predominantly on health and safety concerns." The players wrote that the league is "not taking the matter seriously." Their letter read, "We are discouraged by the tone, tenor, and general unpreparedness of Pac-12 leadership." Pac-12 officials were "struck Friday night by the tone of the group’s latest correspondence" (SI.com, 8/8).
The players said that Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott "told them the conference was powerless to mandate uniform testing standards." They also "described the commissioner as often condescending, unprepared and unwilling to meet with them again -- telling them that subsequent discussions would be with the conference’s medical advisory board." The players also said that Scott "criticized their statement on The Players’ Tribune as a 'misguided P.R. stunt'" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/8). The two sides "offered conflicting views on the progress made" during the call (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/9).
