LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Says in Fox News Interview "Team Has Not Had One Outbreak As a Result of Workouts"
Whether it’s been on his weekly check in with Baton Rouge radio show “Off the Bench,” in front of Vice President Mike Pence or on Fox News, LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s message has stayed consistent.
“I think we definitely need football. I think we're going to have football,” Orgeron said on Your World with Neil Cavuto. “Obviously, the safety of our young men are going to be first. But we are ready. Our guys came back early. We spent a week on educating on COVID-19, what to do, especially wear the mask, social distancing.”
When the team first reported for voluntary workouts in June, a small number of players tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting Tigerland the first weekend back. Even though bars all across the state have been closed by governor John Bel Edwards, Orgeron said earlier this week that players won’t be returning to the popular string of bars after the outbreak.
In fact, since the initial outbreak, Orgeron said the virus has been contained and that there have been no positive tests as a result of the voluntary workouts which started on June 8.
“We have not had one breakout of a virus in our workouts. Our guys have done a tremendous job. We feel that we are capable and ready to handle this and ready to play football,” Orgeron said.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in an interview on “Outkick the Coverage” that the league reported positive cases “in the low single-digits to zero“ range. The decline in cases has left some school officials optimistic that a season can occur in the fall.
“One of my presidents said, ‘Hey, I feel comfortable we can support and oversee and keep people healthy,” Sankey said.
With just over two weeks until a final decision must be made on a schedule change or delay to the 2020 season, there are still many differing opinions on what needs to happen between now and then.
"I sit here today, talking to you, not knowing what will happen in the fall," Sankey said on the Paul Finebaum show. "But I also feel a responsibility not to just say 'okay we're done.' There are no simple answers and we've seen our colleagues make decisions and ultimately we're going to have to make a decision. We understand that and we're going to do exactly what we've been guided, which is continue to learn, continue to gather information and continuing consultation, all while we support our young people as best we can."
With big programs and fruitful athletic departments like LSU, the Tigers could likely survive if a season were to be outright canceled. But that’s only the case for a handful of schools as most within the FBS athletic departments heavily rely on the funding that football provides.
Cavuto asked Orgeron why he thinks it’s so important for college football to return in some form or fashion.
“First of all, I think the country needs it. I think the state of Louisiana needs it,” Orgeron said. “The economy needs it. We all need it. I think our children need to get back to school. And we need to get on the right track and find a way to fight this thing.”
Though there is a level of concern about making sure the players will be safe during the season, Orgeron feels the team and the training staff are giving each player the best care and education possible.
“We have a saying here, we don't blink. Whatever the situation at hand is, we are going to have to be able to master it, and focus in on having a great season. That is our mind-set here at LSU,” Orgeron said.
