Gov. Lamont calling for meeting to be held regarding school sports following student protest

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    HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) — Student athletes and coaches continue to push for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference to reverse its decision on canceling full-contact football for the upcoming fall season.

Following a protest on Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said he is calling for a meeting to be held between DPH and the CIAC regarding way to safely hold school sports.

“We have an obligation to all of our students, faculty, staff, and administrators to keep them safe, and I expect that goal to be the focus of the discussion,” Lamont said in a post on Twitter.

The meeting is expected to be held on Friday.

On Wednesday at 5 p.m., hundreds of football players, parents, and coaches gathered outside the State Capitol in protest of the CIAC’s decision.

Organizers said players, coaches, and parents from 25 schools were in attendance to make their voices heard.

“We worked all four years and to have this taken away from us,” said Jose Rosado, who attends Maloney High School in Meriden. “It means a lot to us. I’m really mad about it.”

“I just want them to let us play whether it’s now or in the spring,” said Joshua Pelletier, also from Maloney High School.

The announcement from the CIAC came last week after a meeting to review recommendations from the state Department of Public Health.

In a letter from the Dept. of Public Health to the CIAC on Sept. 3, it said:

“With regard to CIAC’s consideration of additional mitigation strategies for indoor girls’ volleyball and football that may lower their risks for person-to-person respiratory droplet spread, DPH has suggested that CIAC consider modifications to higher risk activities, and we continue to encourage such modifications. Absent such modifications, DPH is unlikely to support higher risk activities for the Fall term. We would also recommend that CIAC consult with your sports medicine committee before implementing significant changes to how high school sports are played in our state so that any potential unintended consequences of those changes (including increased risk of injury) can be fully vetted prior to implementation.”

Following this response, the CIAC said it determined that high-risk, full-contact football was no longer an option; however it said in alignment with the DPH recommendations, it will work to provide football players with low-to-moderate risk fall activities.

Players said they believe the sport can be played with minimal risk. They said they have followed the rules set out by the governor and emphasized by the DPH.

Over the weekend, hundreds of athletes showed up to a rally in West Hartford against the DPH’s no-contact recommendation.

Some head coaches said their student athletes are still meeting on the field despite the announcement.

The CIAC’s decision does leave open some options of playing a seven-on-seven passing league or flag football.

A petition is making the rounds on social media and has already collected more than 33,600 signatures. It can be found by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the Middletown school district on Tuesday announced plans to resume fall sports competitions; however, football and dance can only practice.

Some coaches across the state plan to continue practicing just in case the decision is reversed.

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