Roy Williams: "You're Damn Right I'm Afraid" of COVID
UNC coach Roy Williams was his usual straightforward, direct self when asked if he was afraid of the coronavirus.
“Damn, if you’re not afraid of something that’s killed over a quarter of a million people,” he said. “You’re damn right I’m afraid of it. Aware of it, respect it, yeah, but heck, I don’t want to get the thing. I’m serious, guys, over 250,000 people have died of it. So if you’re not afraid of it, you’re crazy.”
At age 70, Williams is at elevated risk, since COVID’s effects are worse for people over 65. Fellow ACC Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim—who is 76—tested positive for the virus a few weeks ago.
“He and I have been on two different Zoom calls in the last two days,” Williams said of Boeheim. “He appears to be doing well. He gave us a report that he hasn’t had any symptoms.”
Still, if Williams and the rest of the ACC needed a wake-up call, Boeheim’s test provided it.
“I think we all have to be concerned about that,” Williams said. “There’s no question. Every single day I’ve got my mask, right here. I can put it on. I don’t know that it helps my looks or hurts my looks. I wear my mask in practice, the full practice, every single day. I’m going to wear a mask during games and keep it on during the entire game. I think it’s just something that we’re faced with right here. We’ve got to try to do the best thing we can.”
