Chants of 'Let Us Play' Dominate Rally to Save CT Football

HARTFORD, CT — Normally at 5 o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in the second week of September, high school football players across Connecticut would be winding down from an exhausting, three-hour practice session, preparing for the "Friday night lights" or Saturday afternoon contests against rival schools.

This Wednesday was different, however, as hundreds of players from every corner of the state gathered in solidarity at the state Capitol building, pleading for a reversal of last week's decision by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) to pull the plug on full-contact, 11-versus-11 competition this fall.

The decision, made after repeated consultations with the state Department of Public Health (DPH), was based on football being deemed "high risk" in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The DPH suggested several alternatives, including playing games with seven players per side.

The outpouring of support from well over 1,000 players, coaches, parents and fans, was overwhelming. Rockville High School head coach Erick Knickerbocker was impressed at the organization of the rally, which was handled entirely by student-athletes.

"This is a player-driven event, which I think is really unique," he said. "This is not run by adults. You can see on the stage the kids are running everything. We're here to support the kids."

Brien McNamara, a player at Haddam-Killingworth High School, said, "Every other state has higher COVID-19 numbers ... We believe football should have a fair chance."

Teammate Daniel LaRosa concurred, "We've had sports all summer and I really think we're ready for it."

Health officials on Wednesday said Connecticut's positive coronavirus test rate was 1.5 percent, among the lowest in the country.

Stafford/Somers/East Windsor head coach Brian Mazzone said, "Watching all of those kids, from Greenwich to Stafford, stand up for what they believe in was so very impressive. They were peaceful, respectful, had their masks on. It made me really proud to be a part of Connecticut football and in the past month it hasn't been to cool to tell people that you coach in this state."

Dozens of players and parents sported signs bearing messages such as "Let us play." That saying became a popular chant throughout the duration of the peaceful rally.

Following the rally, Gov. Ned Lamont said on Twitter he is requesting a meeting Friday between the DPH and CIAC.

"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 wrote.

Photos and video: Tim Jensen/Patch

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