CMS athletes protest to save their seasons. COVID-19 may put college hopes in jeopardy
Camren Kennedy’s college hopes are in jeopardy.
Kennedy, a junior wide receiver and cornerback at Olympic High School, knows that the football season is critical for his scholarship opportunities — and he wants to be one of the first in his family to go to college. He knows that he needs more film to send to coaches, but there’s a chance the coronavirus pandemic could close the door on fall sports.
“It is very important to me and also every other student-athlete in Charlotte to play,” Kennedy said. “Some people might have offers, some people might need more offers or different offers to go to school. Charlotte student-athletes would like to earn scholarships.”
Kennedy’s concern over his future is why he joined around 100 high school athletes, parents and coaches Wednesday morning at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Central Office Building to push CMS to “save their seasons” by allowing teams to begin practice.
The protest never left the central office parking lot, and no CMS employees were publicly present at the event. Aside from protesters and parents, the parking lot was empty.
As confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to climb in North Carolina and Mecklenburg County, the N.C. High School Athletic Association moved the start of fall sports practice from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1. But Myers Park senior running back K’Daron Redfearn, one of the two student-athletes who organized the protest, said he needs to be back with his teammates before then.
“We’re not trying to ask for much,” Redfearn said. “Obviously, we’ve got to take it step by step, but we’re just trying to ask to start practicing at least.”
Surrounded by student-athletes wearing their team colors, with some holding signs that read “bigger than sports,” Redfearn read a written statement to CMS through a megaphone.
He referenced the climbing coronavirus cases in Georgia and expressed frustration with their decision to allow student-athletes to practice while North Carolina student-athletes remain at home.
“Georgia has had almost three times the deaths North Carolina has had and still is able to have their student-athletes return to practice safely. We do not understand why we cannot return to practice,” Redfearn said.
Bryan Crutcher, father of two Myers Park football players, said he has had a hard time explaining to his sons why they can’t play. Crutcher said he thinks health protocols create a safe environment for high school practices to resume, and he worries about the mental health of high school athletes in limbo.
“They’re better as one,” Crutcher said. “By themselves, things are not good. Depression sets in. There’s a whole list of bad stuff that can happen.”
While a majority of protesters were high school football players and parents, other student-athletes and coaches from boys’ soccer, girls’ field hockey and wrestling — a winter sport — also voiced their concerns.
Caroline Golden, a sophomore field hockey player at Myers Park, said it’s hard to stay at home knowing that some private schools around Charlotte have restarted fall sports practices.
“Just knowing that they’re able to work for something and they’re doing it safely,” Golden said. “Why can’t we do that?”
Kennedy took a job at Bojangles’ last week to earn more money to pay for offseason football training. Without a college scholarship, he worries that he won’t be able to get much further than that job.
“Without a college degree, you can’t work anywhere but those low-paying jobs,” Kennedy said. “I need CMS to hear me speak and say that we need to play.”