Corrigan: Making the Right Decisions During an Unprecedented Time
NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan has kept a low profile, at least publicly, during a turburlent few weeks that have seen a new ACC football schedule announced, a COVID-19 outbreak that caused the interruption of preseason practice and a difficult decision to play sports events in September without spectators.
Tuesday, during a guest appearance on the ACC Network's Packer and Durham show, Corrigan addressed those issues -- along with the women's soccer team's decision not to play this fall.
Here is a sampling of what he had to say:
How would you put the last couple of weeks into context?
"We've said from the beginning that this is something where you've got to keep your knees bent and you've got to be ready for whatever's going to come after you. As much as you want to try to control (things), we (can't). The virus is in control of us. We're part of the North Carolina System, we're part of the state of North Carolina, But first and foremost in our thoughts are always going to be our student-athletes.
"As we looked at specifically the women's soccer program, when you get down to the numbers we were at it's really hard to imagine being able to put them onto a field where you feel safe, where you feel good about them when the wear and tear on their bodies. Ultimately, you've got to make the right decision during a time that's truly unprededented."
Do you fear that there are other sports beside women's soccer that could still be impacted by current conditions?
"I do, (but) I don't know that fear is the right word because it's such a unique time. You want the students to have a voice, you want to have their health and welfare at the forefront of what it is. And there is no script. There is no blueprint for what we're dealing with right now.
"If you're driven by 'we're going to do the most right thing,' we're going to protect and serve and have their best interests at heart, I think it's more making the right decision as opposed to being fearful of making a decision."
How difficult was the conversation about having fans in the stands for Wolfpack football?
"We know our fans are going to be disappointed and our players are going to be disappointed, everyone involved. We want the band on the field, marching out. We want the cheerleaders there and everything back to how it's been in the past. But we've been preparing for any scenario and have been thinking through these scenarios and the decision was made. We abide by the decisions and we're going to move forward. Hopefully, maybe sometime later this fall we'll be able to get some people in there.
"The good thing for us is that we created a 'Preserve the Pack' fund for people to be able to donate their season tickets to the Wolfpack Club to help us there and move their tickets forward to pay for their 2021 tickets. And we've had great success with our incredibly passionate fan base that's really stepped up and it's going to help us get through '21."
How hard is the balance between economics and competition?
"You've only got 10 fingers and 10 toes and the numbers are bigger than that as you're going through this. It's a challenge in what it is. But it's something that we've been looking at and hopefully being around this for 30 years, it kind of prepares you in some way to have all these conversations, to be transparent and open with our coaches, with our staff, with our students. Our driver is always going to be the health and welfare for our students and what are we doing to protect them.in their environment, and how do we continue to move forward."
Does it seem as though everyone is on the same page now as it pertains to COVID-19 testing?
"It's something that our players, from a football standpoint, actually came to us and asked us to test more. So we've been testing two times a week for the last couple of weeks. In-season sports are being tested one day a week. Out-of-season are being tested every two weeks. When you think of the students, that's one population. But you've got managers and trainers and coaches, and it continues to go out from there.
"We're comfortable with where we are right now. It's been an interesting 10, 12, 14 days. We've tested almost 3,000 times for 30 positive tests, so our rates are good in that respect. But any test positive is going to cause you some concern. We've got to continue to move forward to test, to quarantine, to make sure we're putting everyone in the right spot. And as we move into the season, obviously it will be three times (testing) a week."
How did the ACC's scheduling flexibility help when it came to moving the Virginia Tech game from Sept. 12 to Sept. 26?
"Full credit to commissioner (John) Swofford and (associate commissioner for football) Michael Strickland, who have done a great job as well as the coaches that are on the (the ACC's Football Subcommittee), Dave Clawson, Dabo (Swinney) and the new coach from Florida State, Mike Norvell. They did a great job guiding us on what (the schedule) would be.
"Credit to (Virginia Tech AD) Whit Babcock, who didn't waver. It's a very tough time for us, but everyone stepped forward as a conference to figure out what the most right thing was. And we did. When the time comes, if we need to do the same thing we're going to act in a corporate way from a corporate citizen standpoint and do the right thing by any other member of the conference."
How has the cooperation and understanding between the league's members helped make dealing with the current crisis manageable?
"That's what was really impressive to me. Egos were put aside. Self-interest was put aside. Gamesmanship was put aside. It was 'what do we need to do as a conference?' How do we get it onto the field safely? How do we get it onto the field from a competitive standpoint? If we're going be able to pull something off like this, it was so impressive to see the coaches and ADs ...
"There's a little bit of value having grey hair. You've been through a couple of things here and there. You're not so spun on what you're going to do: 'Wait until I tell coach (Dave) Doeren that I stood up for this.' He wants to make sure we're all able to get out there. Our players want to get out there. We need to respect our colleagues and we need to respect the student-athletes wherever they are, whatever campus they're on and make sure we're doing the most right thing."
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