Maxime Rooney and Jack Collins drafted a letter to NCAA president Mark Emmert on Tuesday, asking him to consider an additional year of NCAA eligibility option for NCAA winter athletes that lost their season finales because of the coronavirus.
Their letter was entitled “A Voice for Senior Athletes” and urges the president to extend the extra year of eligibility option that was given to spring athletes who missed their seasons.
The letter begins by thanking Emmert for making decisions to keep athletes save during this pandemic.
“We are respectfully asking the NCAA to consider granting a year of eligibility to senior athletes affected by the cancellation of the National Championships. It is our hope that you would consider working towards a solution that gives senior athletes the option to end their collegiate career in the way they imagined,” the letter reads. “Many athletes were impacted by cancellation decisions; for some, their seasons were cut short, but for others, this marked the abrupt end to their athletic careers. This ending stopped them from participating in a national championship – a competition that was to be the culmination of the year’s hard work and/or career-long effort.”
Attached with the letter is a block of quotes from NCAA athletes around the country.
“The payoff at the end of the season is what swimming is all about,” wrote Drury’s Aidan Glynn. “We all set goals and worked hard so that the payoff at the championship meet would be worth it. Everyone who did not get to complete a championship this season should have the right to end their career their way.”
Rooney and Collins are Texas seniors. Rooney had transferred from Florida this season, so never got the chance to swim at the NCAA championships for the Longhorns.
Check out the full letter about NCAA eligibility below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ICN1jnw3C/?utm_source=ig_embed
This must be so difficult for them but they aren’t the only ones who lost a championship. If they give eligibility back I hope they do it fairly and give it to everyone who didn’t get to complete their championship mert
I love that athletes are advocating for themselves. Would love to see the coaches pushing for this as well.