USC football parents join petition to allow Pac-12 families at games

When the Pac-12 announced last month that it would launch a delayed fall football season starting Nov. 6/7, the conference stated that there would be no fans permitted in any of the stadiums.

Other schools around the country are playing before limited capacity crowds -- but still significant numbers like the 24,000-plus who watched Texas A&M host Florida last weekend.

On Tuesday, a group of parents of USC football players launched a petition to the conference and the relevant state governors, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on behalf of all Pac-12 families to at least allow families to attend the games and support their sons this fall.

“It is important for the emotional health of the football players in the Pac-12 — many who are still teens — and their families that family members be allowed to offer traditional support as they play weekly games,” the letter states. “We believe that this can be done safely in open-air stadiums while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols mandated for businesses.”

Jessica Monheim, the mother of USC freshman offensive lineman Jonah Monheim, broached the idea of launching a petition and it took off from there with input from Shelby McCoy (mother of redshirt freshman WR Bru McCoy), Aileen Goforth (mother of sophomore LB Ralen Goforth) and Sahaja Douglass (mother of redshirt sophomore OL Liam Douglass), who wrote the letter and put it on Change.org.

A similar letter launched by parents in the Mountain West Conference served as some inspiration.

A number of parents of USC players shared the petition on Twitter on Tuesday.