Ray Tanner Discusses Amount of Fans Allowed In Williams-Brice Stadium This Year

The Gamecocks are preparing as though the season will happen and that includes how many fans will be allowed.

South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner appeared on College Sports on SiriusXM Radio and talked about the amount of fans allowed in Williams-Brice Stadium this year should the season happen.

“We have submitted that request that you’re referring to and it was a social distancing request. So the number that we came up with it was exactly 24.6 percent, which included our band and our players’ parents,” he said. “And we obviously have to go to a system with our fan base and our donors to do ticket packages, but that's with the social distance stadium. We're close to 80,000 and that's the way we were able to do it. So that's where we are.”

While the season is still up in the air, Tanner said the Gamecocks are proceeding as though it's business as usual. 

“They glass is half full until they take it away from you,” he said. “That’s where we are. We understand and we’re under great leadership on this campus with President [Bob] Caslan and our commissioner [Greg Sankey]. We have been studying this situation for a long, long time and we’re going to move forward until we cant.”

He added that the concerns raised by other conferences that have postponed their season have been noted. 

“The health and safety of our staff, that’s never been lost,” he said. “I know other conferences have made decisions, we’re not negligent to that standpoint. We hope to be able to move forward, but we constantly monitor and study and learn things that we need to and that’s where we are to do.”