Posted on September 10, 2020
Hartford – It was recently announced that Connecticut will be one of two states in the country to cancel its high school football season this year. The decision was announced by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), the state’s governing body on high school athletics, even though football teams across the state had safely been engaging in practices and team activities over the last few weeks. State Rep. Dave Labriola (R-Oxford) joined with many of his colleagues in a letter to Gov. Lamont urging him to meet with the CIAC and the state’s Dept. of Public Health to reconsider the cancellation of an entire season.
To read the letter you can click here, or read below.
Dear Governor Lamont,
We respectfully request that you convene a meeting with your office and officials from the Department of Public Health and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference as soon as possible to find a path forward to allow high school football to be played this fall.
Connecticut is a national leader against the spread of COVID 19 and we are proud of the example that we have set for the rest of the country. Connecticut has among the best metrics in the United States. We believe that we can continue this trend while still allowing our youth to engage in sports activities. As you are aware, Connecticut youth have been playing football along with all other team sports over that past several months and this has not led to a spike in our infection rate.
Participation in team sports is immeasurably valuable to our youth. Sports provide structure and opportunity for students who may otherwise be left without a solid support system. Sports also provide students with scholarship opportunities. Failure to have a football season this fall will undoubtedly put Connecticut students at a disadvantage as they compete against students from other states.
We strongly believe that if we work together, football can happen this fall. Let’s do our best to make sure that our student athletes have the opportunity to compete. Thank you for your timely consideration of the important request.
