Michigan Wolverines sophomore defensive lineman Chris Hinton is expected to be a breakout player on U-M's defensive line this year, but his parents want to see more from the NCAA's COVID response team before allowing their son to play.

Hinton's father, former NFL Pro Bowler Chris Hinton Sr., and his wife Mya told the Chicago Tribune they want NCAA to require uniform COVID-19 protocols for college football before they'll send their kids back out on the field.

"Mya and I are huge football fans,” Chris Hinton Sr. said. “We want to see a season. But we want it done safely and only if it makes sense.”

The Tribune reports that the Hintons created the advocacy group College Football Parents 24/7, a group of 2,000 parents of athletes, with the goal to push the NCAA to make clear and uniform rules for colleges to bring back sports in the time of COVID-19.

In short, they want more leadership from NCAA President Mark Emmert and less deferring to conferences and individual schools.

“It’s pretty general,” Chris Hinton Sr. continued. "There’s nothing to it. It’s frustrating because the NCAA, if there’s an issue with whether athletes are getting an extra lunch or extra meal, they can whip up something and mandate something on rules about meals, but not about COVID-19 protocol.”

The Hintons' younger son, Myles, is an offensive lineman at Stanford, giving the family two to worry about.

“It’s on us as parents," Chris Hinton continued. "Do we put our sons back in harm’s way? It’s tough when your son is a rising sophomore and this is his year to actually break into the rotation. We talked about it. We felt about as comfortable as we could feel in what the two schools were presenting. But it was a hard decision.”

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to all parents via a survey, Zoom calls with doctors and more. The Hintons were pleased with U-M's response, but they're looking for more from Emmert and Co.

“If guidelines that are going to be put in place, if we don’t feel comfortable (with them), they will not play,” Hinton Sr. said, noting they "aren't going away."

Michigan is set to begin coach-led workouts and practices July 24.

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