Alabama AD pleads with students to wear masks if they want college football
For weeks, college football has found itself in a precarious position. The coronavirus pandemic has already resulted in season cancellations or postponements of the Big Ten, Pac-12, MAC and Mountain West as well as every NCAA fall championship.
The SEC, Big 12 and ACC are still standing, but likely need the COVID-19 outlook to improve before they begin their seasons. What they do not need is a bunch of their students spending time in close quarters without wearing a mask.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne saw exactly that playing out on Sunday and tweeted out a picture of the scene. His message: Wear a mask or don’t expect college football.
Who wants college sports this fall?? 🏈⚽️🏐🏃🏼♀️🏃🏿
Obviously not these people!! 🤦🏼♂️
We’ve got to do better than this for each other and our campus community. Please wear your masks!😷 pic.twitter.com/OAFocYZwin— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) August 16, 2020
Alabama offensive lineman Chris Owens had something similar to say, asking the city of Tuscaloosa to social distance and wear a mask.
How about we social distance and have more than a literal handful of people wear a mask? Is that too much to ask Tuscaloosa? pic.twitter.com/gZ4MbbmBZn
— Chris Owens (@BGChrisOwens) August 16, 2020
Alabama is in the middle of students moving back to campus for the semester. The NCAA has made it clear for months that schools need students on campus if they also want sports on campus.
SEC football still facing coronavirus threat
The SEC has held off on following in the Big Ten and Pac-12’s footsteps, and the arrival of a promising saliva test could help its attempt to hold a season this fall.
Alabama as a state has seen a downturn in coronavirus cases since a mask mandate went into effect in July, but all it takes is a large group ignoring that mandate to give the virus a new breeding ground. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has even recorded a video asking everybody to wear a mask if they want to watch the Crimson Tide this year.
With the conference’s revamped scheduled not beginning until Sept. 26, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has preached patience in making a decision.
Best advice I’ve received since COVID-19: “Be patient. Take time when making decisions. This is all new & you’ll gain better information each day.” @SEC has been deliberate at each step since March...slowed return to practice...delayed 1st game to respect start of fall semester..
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) August 10, 2020
The NCAA has been less outwardly optimistic, with its chief medical officer saying “everything would have to line up perfectly” to play college sports this fall.
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