Damien Lewis Shares Thoughts on College Opt Outs, Early Success with Seahawks
RENTON, WA - Throughout his first training camp, Seahawks rookie Damien Lewis has blown away teammates and coaches, further solidifying his standing as a Week 1 starter replacing D.J. Fluker at right guard.
While Lewis has drawn raving reviews from the likes of All-Pro tackle Duane Brown and linebacker Bruce Irvin for his excellent performance as one of the stars of Seattle's camp thus far, however, his alma mater has been in the headlines for far different reasons.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still wreaking havoc across the country, two notable Power 5 conferences - the Big Ten and Pac-12 - recently made the controversial decision to postpone football and all other fall sports until the spring. To this point, the SEC has maintained its goal of conducting a full season consisting of all conference matchups, but that hasn't stopped high-profile players from choosing to opt out of the season.
At LSU specifically, where Lewis starred the past two seasons and won a National Championship in 2019, All-American receiver Jamarr Chase and defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin became the latest to choose to bypass the upcoming season and prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft. Two other players - defensive lineman Neil Farrell and defensive back Kary Vincent - opted out earlier in the offseason.
Across the NFL landscape, players such as Lewis as well as coaches and team personnel have been tested for COVID-19 daily and at least to this point, the protocols established by league officials and the players association have worked far better than anyone could have hoped. Not a single player tested positive from August 12 to August 20, while there were only four positive tests out of 23,000-plus tests from August 21 to August 29. All four of those positives were on different teams.
But for college players, they face far different circumstances without daily testing accessible, creating increased liability for conferences and universities. With there already being debates about amateur athletes not being compensated fairly for the money they bring into NCAA schools, many Division I players have decided playing this fall isn't worth the risk. For surefire top draft picks such as Chase, there's simply too much at stake.
When asked if he would have been comfortable playing college football under current circumstances if still enrolled at LSU, Lewis didn't bat an eye, indicating he would have no reservations about suiting up with his teammates and it would have been an easy decision for him personally.
"If it were me, I just love the game of football," Lewis smiled. "I probably would have just played the season, just going out there, playing with my brothers, putting everything on the line knowing that I got to be on the field.
With that said, Lewis recognizes why many players aren't as keen on the idea of playing during a pandemic, particularly those who already have other health conditions or have children. The virus has been linked to several other long-term health issues, including myocarditis, inflammation of a heart muscle which can lead to abnormal heart rate, shortness of breath, fever, and sudden cardiac arrest.
For those who are at greater risk themselves or have more vulnerable loved ones at home to protect, Lewis respects their individual decision to hang up the cleats for this season.
"I understand some of those guys have medical problems and some have family [issues], some probably have kids. They're real wary, so they had to do what they had to do."
That's the reality of sports in 2020. Even considering the NFL's arranged situation with most teams isolated in their own bubble, several players chose not to play for a variety of reasons and others strongly considered before deciding to play. This came after OTAs and minicamps were scrapped due to state and local stay-at-home regulations implemented across the country and plenty of challenges still await once teams start traveling to play other teams in the next few weeks.
Making the most of the situation, Lewis has focused on what he can control, diving into his playbook and getting to know all of his new line mates in quick fashion with the season opener in Atlanta less than two weeks away. As for his early success? Enjoying his time with the Seahawks to this point, he owes much of it simply to the experience he gained playing against top competition at the college level, further showing his love for the LSU program that helped develop him.
"The guys made me feel real comfortable. Coach Pete, offensive linemen, just getting a real good feel of the whole place. Everything just comes naturally to me and I feel like LSU did a great job with me, preparing me well playing against tough teams in the SEC. Some of those guys I played were top draft picks... It's just a transition doing the same thing over and over."
