Xavier Austin

Xavier Austin, junior and varsity football player, said he has been directly affected by the decision to cancel contact sport games. He said he is very upset for the seniors on his team.

“Most of [the varsity football team] is seniors and they’re trying to [get a college] offer so they can continue to play the sport that they want to play, and go to college and further their education,” Austin said. “If they don’t have the season, they won’t have a better opportunity to get to where they want to [go].”

According to Austin, he attended the protest against Page’s decision, where he said he got to see many people passionate about the issue. He said while he was protesting, he was able to see perspectives from other people. 

“[There were] a bunch of student-athletes and parents from multiple schools around St. Louis and the St. Louis county area,” Austin said. “I feel like seeing everyone that was there, and how upset the parents were because they felt that we deserved to be able to play this season, it set a perspective on how people felt besides just me.”