Should SEC Suspend Pickens Under COVID Protocols?
The Vols came up short against Georgia on Saturday in Athens, falling to the Bulldogs 44-21 after leading 21-17 at halftime. There are many points to the game against Georgia to discuss for the Vols, from turnovers, poor quarterback play, poor offensive line play, and a sub-par game from Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney. Lost in the midst of the talking points of the game, the Georgia victory, and the impact on the larger season, was a penalty called on Georgia sophomore receiver George Pickens in the second quarter. This penalty was strange for many reasons, but it has particular significance in 2020.
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano scrambled away from pressure and was tackled on the Georgia sideline. As Guarantano was getting up, Pickens walked over from the bench and sprayed Guarantano in the face with his water bottle. The official on the sideline saw it and flagged Pickens for a boneheaded unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Vols advanced an additional fifteen yards, and that was the end of it on the field. In any other season, that would have simply been a stupid penalty Pickens would be chewed out for on Monday, but this is 2020. Teams are trying to play football in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, following protocols, daily testing, and isolating, all in hopes of minimizing transmission of the virus and having a full season. What Pickens did could have potentially put another player at risk of the virus for no reason. Water bottles have been an area that teams have specifically targeted as a way to prevent transmission, with many teams in the college and high school ranks having each player carry and exclusively use their own water bottle. In a week that started with the SEC threatening to fine programs that didn't adhere to mask mandates, there is a legitimate question as to whether or not Pickens should be suspended for what was a needless and stupid action.
The step of suspending a player after the fact of a game would not be new to the SEC. Last season, the conference suspended Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings for the first half of Tennessee's bowl game after he appeared to step on a Vanderbilt defender on the sideline. In that instance, video was used to determine that Jennings would be suspended, even though the field and sideline were wet, players from both teams were shoving, and the video couldn't prove intent. It is also worth noting that Jennings was not flagged for a penalty in the game against Vanderbilt. In contrast, Pickens was flagged, and both in the moment and on video, his actions and intent are absolutely clear. If the reasoning for the SEC in suspending Jennings was player safety being enforced, and in a time when the SEC is threatening fines to programs for not following COVID protocols, the SEC should at least examine whether or not Pickens' actions are worthy of a suspension of some kind.
