VIDEO: Illini Now/SI Morning Update With Matthew Stevens - July 2, 2020
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illini Now/Sports Illustrated publisher/editor Matthew Stevens focuses on the story of Illinois senior-to-be linebacker Milo Eifler.
When asked if he would feel comfortable starting the 2020 season with the current safety protocols in place, Eifler responded with a question of his own.
"Do we have a vaccine?" Eifler asked with a smile. "I don't know. The football player in me wants to put on pads right now. Just leaving the house to go to the grocery store, I know everyone has been a little bit scared about 'What if I go eat with my friend on Friday in an outdoor-seated restaurant?' You want to do those things but in the back of your head you're like, 'Dang, I don't know. Is it right?'"
The projected starting linebacker may consider taking a pass on the 2020 season if plans proceeded without a vaccine being available and distributed.
"I don't know. That's kind of why I started this and [an Illinois athletics spokesperson] asked me if I wanted to talk [to media] today and I said, 'Hell yeah'," Eifler said. "If there was a vaccine? Of course, [if there was a vaccine] all college football players would be like, 'Put me in right now'. In the back of your head, you're like ,'There's no vaccine, there's no way to, there's quarantining and after the quarantining, I guess I'm okay so I won't catch the virus again.' But then there's long-term effects. There's always this back and forth, you know what I'm saying? From the bottom of my heart, I love football. I want to play with my guys...all of that coming from an athlete. But then, coming from the personal side, there's questions like, 'What if I catch it and I can't go see my parents anymore?' That's kind of where I'm at right now."
A single tweet expressing worry over playing football during a current coronavirus pandemic has caused concern among the University of Illinois athletics department.