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On Monday morning, Justin Cessante from the Legacy Center in Brighton was on a Zoom call with representatives from the Michigan Elite Football Club and Rising Stars Recruiting, trying to determine the next step.
Of even if they would be allowed to take a next step.
The three organizations offer athletic camps, tournaments, showcases and clinics for a variety of sports, but they are not affiliated with the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
So when the MHSAA announced Friday that it was postponing football, the response was quick.
“There’s a reason I got 85 calls to my phone in 12 hours Friday and Saturday morning,” said Cessante, the director of football operations at the Legacy Center. “There’s a reason I got 50-plus emails. There’s a reason I had more direct messages on social media than I can count.
“Players are looking for solutions.”
Reggie Wynns, owner of Rising Stars Recruiting, was faced with a similar challenge.
“The parents are desperate … they’re going crazy,” Wynns said. “I couldn’t get off the phone. I had to text people. Parents, kids, high school coaches … they’re all calling me. It was a long two days over the weekend, and it’s still going on. I can’t take a nap because my phone is going off continually.”
Cessante said he and the other non-MHSAA athletic businesses would like to offer solutions, but they are in stand-by mode to find out what the MHSAA and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer allows.
“There are solutions we can offer the kids, solutions that we can do safely,” Cessante said. “We can have showcases for seniors, isolate them in a hotel, and get the film to colleges. We can offer 7-on-7s, maybe with no press coverage, to make it safer than soccer.
“There are groups in the state of Michigan that offer off-season development who are coming together to find solutions. We don’t all agree all the time, but we sat down to discuss opportunities to improve the mental health, emotional health and physical health of players who are hurt because of Friday’s decision.”
Cessante says Legacy Center in Brighton has not offered any football activities since the March shutdown, complying with state executive orders.
He, like many of the MHSAA coaches and administrators, are waiting for an announcement Wednesday. The MHSAA is expected to announce new football restrictions, protocol and scheduling in the wake of Friday’s postponement.
“We do plan on having guidelines on what can be offered by our high schools later this week,” Kimmerly said. “We will have plans that will allow schools to engage their players in football activities through what would have been the fall football season.”
Cessante is also anticipating a new round of executive orders from Governor Whitmer that could also dictate the future of football participation.
“What is going to be the law?” Cessante said. “Is there a reason they would be able to play high school soccer, but not 7-on-7s? We would like to cooperate with the MHSAA and the football coaches association to find viable solutions that would help kids.
“I know this won’t last forever, but I know we can come up with solutions for this 2021 group. We can be creative to help them, even if it’s a showcase we can run at their school. We know how to do it. We can help. And there’s no guarantee that there will be football in the spring. That would be devastating to these kids.”
The Legacy Center has provided off-season training for other sports, even though football has been pushed to the sideline.
“There are things we can do to help kids. If we’re really here to do what we’ve been talking about all these years – to help kids – then we have to find a way to work together,” Cessante said. “We want to collaborate. We want to do it the right way, safely and with integrity. The only way to do it is to work together.”
Wynns is concerned about the high school seniors, not just about their college futures.
“There is the recruiting standpoint … an important part for me is to be an advocate for the seniors,” Wynns said. “I want to be able to create all kinds of senior stuff for these guys so they can generate film and get recruited. The NCAA hasn’t made decisions. Are they going to extend scholarships? Are they going to allow more? I have multiple Division I players who don’t have Division I offers.
“To get that rolling, you need to get people to see the kids. You can’t take everything away from these kids. The suicide rate is high for teenagers already. Can’t go to school. You’ve got virtual classes. Can’t play football. Kids need this.”
Wynns also believes there are things he can do to help players and remain COVID-19 safe. But he, like the other directors, are waiting on Governor Whitmer.
“Basically, we’re waiting on her to give us the ‘Thumbs Up’ or the ‘Thumbs Down’ sign,” Wynns said. “We can do it socially distanced. We can be safe. You can minimize how many guys you have bringing into camp. I have game plans in place, just waiting on the state.
“It’s scary. You pray to God nobody gets sick and dies. You want to make sure kids stay healthy, make sure the coaching staff stays healthy. It’s tough. You talk to kids. You micromanage with coaches as well as kids. It can work if we all work together.”
Cessante and Wynns both maintain that football, whether it’s in the high schools or at their camps, serves a more important role than just a fall diversion from school.
“Football saved my life, and there are lives out there that are in worst circ*mstances than I was,” Cessante said. “There’s nothing more American than the start of a new school year and a new season of football.
“To take that away and with no guarantee of a spring season … that creates a new level of depression.”
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