Where does Penn State football stand on unionizing? QB, coach had this to say at Big Ten Media Days
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford has been creating headlines of late after his discussions with College Football Players Association executive director Jason Stahl became public knowledge and stirred up questions about potential for the team to unionize.
Clifford and about 100 Nittany Lions were reportedly in an extended meeting with Stahl before a member of the Penn State staff entered the room with less than five minutes to go in Stahl’s presentation, he told CBS Sports.
However, the notion of potential unionization was put to bed by Clifford with a statement on Friday after the news became public and then by head coach James Franklin and athletic director Pat Kraft Wednesday afternoon at Big Ten Media Days.
On Wednesday, the team’s starting quarterback made frequent reference to his statement and passed on expanding further on his hopes for what will happen next.
“We are five days away from camp and that’s the main thing right now,” Clifford said. “Just to address what happened, do I want to make change for college athletics and college athletes across the country? Absolutely. That’s one of the things that I set out to do this offseason, and I still believe that. I’m very blessed to be in this situation. To have a commissioner that’s open to conversations, a head coach that’s open to conversations and a new athletic director that’s open to conversations. It’s a blessing, 100%. ... Definitely excited about the future, but here in the present.”
Clifford’s statement on Friday said he met with Franklin, Kraft and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to discuss the changing landscape of college athletics and how it will impact athletes. He added, however, that he was not doing so on behalf of a union.
Kraft said that changes will be considered from the student-athlete advisory committee in the Big Ten that Clifford now sits on, and empowering that group and others will be important in moving forward.
“If you’re in this profession, you’re an educator by trade,” Kraft said. “I respect Kevin Warren for having the conversation. That’s what you want. ... Are we listening to them? Absolutely. Will they have a voice? Absolutely. And they should.”
Franklin addressed the issue himself when he took the podium to begin Penn State’s availability Wednesday. He expressed his gratitude for the team he has, his administration and Clifford specifically, while emphasizing the need to have discussions about the changing landscape.
However, he declined to get into the specifics of the situation.
“One of the things I’m very, very proud of is the relationships that we have with our players at Penn State,” he said. “It’s something that I truly believe in, and having these open discussions and dialogue with your players is important. ... I’m blessed and fortunate to have a team and an administration that’s willing to have these conversations. At the end of the day, our players and specifically Sean, want what’s best for college athletics, want what’s best for Penn State, want what’s best for the Big Ten. So I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 5:15 PM.
