Saban Speaks Out on Situation
The world of college football has been in a tailspin since stories first broke lat last week that college football season could be canceled before it even begins. Media members have written their approval and disgust while fans have joined the parade of negative comments on social media.
Players started the hashtags #WeWantToPlay and #WeAreUnited in response and to voice their opinions on the rumors of cancellation. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence joined the players' movement, lending his name recognition to the issue, and now Nick Saban has spoken.
In an interview with ESPN on Monday, the six-time national championship-winning coach reiterated the point Lawrence had made.
"Look, players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home," Saban told ESPN. "We have around a 2 percent positive ratio on our team since the Fourth of July. It's a lot higher than that in society. We act like these guys can't get this unless they play football. They can get it anywhere, whether they're in a bar or just hanging out."
There will be people who will disagree, but it's hard to ignore or discredit Saban's comment because he is exactly right.
Players left to their own devices will likely be out and about if they are sent back home, and the chances of contracting the virus are highly likely.
Don't believe me? Look at the numbers of players at various schools, including Alabama, that was reported to have tested positive upon their return to campus. Media members wrote of the high numbers and the possibility that the season would be lost then.
Saban admitted there would be challenges, especially when other students return to campus.
"It's going to be a challenge when the other students get on campus, and I get that," Saban said. "But we really don't know what that entails until it happens. It's a big reason we pushed the season back (in the SEC) to assess that, which is the prudent way to do it.
"But our guys aren't going to catch (COVID-19) on the football field. They're going to catch it on campus. The argument then should probably be, 'We shouldn't be having school.' That's the argument. Why is it, 'We shouldn't be playing football?' Why has that become the argument?"
The Crimson Tide coach also shared some of the details of how Alabama is handling players and the virus, including bringing in an epidemiologist to talk to players and answer their questions, along with offering testing for anyone with symptoms and a testing site where players can receive tests as often as they want to help ensure their safety and peace of mind.
While there could be more that can or should be done, those things seem positive. The most significant positive of playing is that if a player were to contract the virus while participating in football, they would have a world-class staff of doctors to see to their immediate care.
How many of these kids would have that at their disposal if they are sent home?
