Brady Quinn Thinks Pac-12 Players Involved With We Are United ‘Doesn’t Understand The System’

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former college and NFL quarterback and current CBS Sports and FOX football analyst Brady Quinn was critical of the demands made by the Pac-12 student-athletes.

Quinn appeared on CBS Sports HQ on Monday and was asked his thoughts on the Pac-12 player demands.

“This is the dumbest letter that I have ever seen,” Quinn stated. “In fact, we don’t know how many players have actually been a part of this. It’s not that prominent, they haven’t necessarily voiced – outside of maybe four schools. Here is some of the issues with some of the requests are: If you are talking about issues in dealing with COVID and player safety and the protocols, that’s one thing. Racial injustice, that is kind of another thing. The two don’t necessarily have anything to do with one another. If you are trying to push for more racial injustice whether or not it’s funding or support, you should always be doing that.

“COVID, once we find a vaccine is not going to be around for any longer,” Quinn continued. “But they are trying to use this window of time as an opportunity to push for other things. But the racial injustices and all of that, it’s almost disrespectful to bring in COVID and lob it on top of it and disguise it and that’s what you are asking for. No one is going to push back against them for asking for things to be more equitable amongst athletes in different races or coming from different backgrounds or asking for more support in that regard.”

Long Term Healthcare

One of the demands made by the conference student-athletes was to have six years of long term healthcare provided to them after they are done playing college football. Quinn thought that was a lot to ask.

.@pac12 student-athletes revealed their demands to the conference. @realOCsports dissected every item of the demands.#GoUtes #Pac12 https://t.co/L5EgcHQa5d

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 2, 2020

“Another thing they asked for in regards to long term healthcare, they asked for six years of long term healthcare after they are done playing college football,” Quinn said. “This is obviously beside fact of if they go pro or not. If you want long term healthcare in the NFL, if you are lucky enough to have five vested seasons, you get five years of healthcare afterwards. They are asking for something that NFL players don’t even get.”

‘We Are United Doesn’t Understand How The System Works’

In the video linked above, Quinn went into the many reasons why the players involved with “We Are United” do not understand the system.

“Whoever is a part of this whole ‘We Are United’ doesn’t understand how the system works,” Quinn mentioned. “The worst part is all they are clamming for is to be paid. I am all for name, image and likeness, that’s not what they are talking about. They want to become employees, they want to unionize and build up this entire thing where it’s now pay for play…If they want to be paid, you are taking away opportunities from other student-athletes in other sports.”

KSL Sports has confirmed that Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has responded to the student-athletes that threatening to boycott the season.#GoUtes #Pac12 https://t.co/BWXV0fBLUm

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 4, 2020

Quinn thinks that the players are not valuing a free education.

“The thing that bothers me the most about this is they don’t respect or they don’t care about the education that they are getting. They are not valuing it. All of these people that leave school with student loan debt have to pay it off for the rest of their life.”

List Of Demands

On Sunday, the Pac-12 student-athletes revealed their demands for the conference in an article by The Players’ Tribune. The following is the list of demands made by the players.

The Players of the Pac-12 will opt-out of fall camp and game participation due to COVID-19 and other serious concerns unless the conference guarantees in writing to protect and benefit both scholarship athletes and walk-ons. #WeAreUnited https://t.co/KQ3oqdB5BL

— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) August 2, 2020

I. Health & Safety Protections

COVID-19 Protections

1. Allow option not to play during the pandemic without losing athletics eligibility or spot on our team’s roster.
2. Prohibit/void COVID-19 agreements that waive liability.

Mandatory Safety Standards, Including COVID-19 Measures

1. Player-approved health and safety standards enforced by a third party selected by players to address COVID-19, as well as serious injury, abuse and death.

II. Protect All Sports

Preserve All Existing Sports by Eliminating Excessive Expenditures

1. Larry Scott, administrators, and coaches to voluntarily and drastically reduce excessive pay.
2. End performance/academic bonuses.
3. End lavish facility expenditures and use some endowment funds to preserve all sports.*

*As an example, Stanford University should reinstate all sports discontinued by tapping into their $27.7 billion endowment.

III. End Racial Injustice In College Sports And Society

1. Form a permanent civic-engagement task force made up of our leaders, experts of our choice, and university and conference administrators to address outstanding issues such as racial injustice in college sports and in society.
2. In partnership with the Pac-12, 2% of conference revenue would be directed by players to support financial aid for low-income Black students, community inititives, and development programs for college athletes on each campus.
3. Form annual Pac-12 Black College Athlete Summit with guaranteed representation of at least three athletes of our choice from every school.

IV. Economic Freedom And Equity

Guaranteed Medical Expense Coverage

1. Medical insurance selected by players for sports-related medical conditions, including COVID-19 illness, to cover six years after college athletics eligibility ends.

Name, Image, and Likeness Rights & Representation

1. The freedom to secure representation, receive basic necessities from any third party, and earn money for use of our name, image, and likeness rights.

Fair Market Pay, Rights, & Freedoms

1. Distribute 50% of each sport’s total conference revenue evenly among athletes in their respective sports.
2. Six-year athletic scholarships to foster undergraduate and graduate degree completion.
3. Elimination of all policies and practices restricting or deterring our freedom of speech, our ability to fully participate in campus activities outside of mandatory athletics participation.
4. Ability of players of all sports to transfer one time without punishment, and additionally in cases of abuse or serious negligence.
5. Ability to complete eligibility after participating in a pro draft if player goes undrafted and foregoes professional participation within seven days of the draft.
6. Due process rights

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.