Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott Responds To Student Athletes’ ‘We Are United’ Movement

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott responded to the list of demands by the conference student-athletes in a letter on Monday.

KSL Sports confirmed that Commissioner Scott sent a letter to the student-athletes in the conference.

Sports Illustrated college football writer Ross Dellenger received a copy of the letter that was sent to the student-athletes.

The commissioner stated in the letter that “we are eager to hear more about your concerns and very happy to discuss. I will come back to you in the coming days following discussion with our members and student-athlete leaders to schedule to schedule a call for this week to discuss the matters that you have raised.”

For a full list of the demands made by student-athletes, click here.

In Larry Scott's response to #WeAreUnited's letter of demands, he reinforces several Pac-12 initiatives and says he will work to schedule a meeting later this week.https://t.co/wFxXzNOxgQ pic.twitter.com/uffY41xbDs

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 4, 2020

In the letter that Sports Illustrated obtained, Larry Scott mentioned some of the items with his comments.

• Enhanced Medical Coverage: Since 2015, all Pac-12 student-athletes receive four years of post-eligibility medical care for injuries, twice as many years of coverage as any other major conference.
• Guaranteed Degree Completion: Since 2015, any Pac-12 student-athlete who leaves school before graduating can return to campus and us the remainder of their educational scholarship to earn their degrees.
• Cost of Attendance: Since 2015, students who play sports at in the Pac-12 and any Autonomy Five institutions are eligible to receive the full cost of attendance benefits as part of their athletic scholarship. In total, with scholarships and cost of attendance stipends, students may receive benefits for tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, general supplies, and personal expenses.
• Guaranteed Scholarships: The Pac-12 and peers in the Autonomy Five conferences voted in 2015 to guarantee that athletic scholarships cannot be canceled for poor athletics performance.
• Inclusion of Student-Athlete Voice: The Pac-12 is the only major conference in which student-athletes are represented in the Conference governance structure with its Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT).
• Mental Health Support: The Pac-12 developed and advocated for an NCAA policy that would require institutions to make mental health services, resources and education available for student-athletes. The Pac-12 and its peers in the Autonomy Five conferences unanimously voted in 2019 to support and adopt that policy.
• Better Time Balance: In 2017, the Pac-12 and its peers in the Autonomy Five conferences, in consultation with students, coaches, faculty and administrators, approved changes giving students more time to pursue academics, work, internships, or additional rest and recovery. Students who play sports will have an additional 21 days away from athletics, in most cases. Student-athletes will be involved in the establishment of their schedules, allowing for more transparency for student-athletes than ever before.
• Concussion Protocols & Independent Medical Care: At all Pac-12 and peer Autonomy Five Conference institutions, medical officials have “unchallengeable autonomous authority” in deciding a student’s ability to play a sport.
• Sports Nutrition & Unlimited Meals/Snacks: Pac-12 universities provide leading nutritional support and resources to all student-athletes. Since 2014, all Pac-12 universities provide unlimited meals and snacks to student-athletes.
• Transfer Rule: The Pac-12 Conference is supportive of national NCAA legislation granting football and basketball student-athletes the ability to transfer between schools more easily (i.e. similar to student-athletes in other sports). Such legislation is slated to be voted on by the NCAA in January 2021.

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.