The SEC held a conference call with more than a dozen players this week, as well as conference officials and members of the SEC's medical advisory board, to discuss plans for the 2020 season and voice any concerns. During the meeting, players were told that positive cases of COVID-19 were a "given" and "there are going to be outbreaks." This call was meant to be a "confidential free exchange," but an audio recording of the call was obtained by the Washington Post.
"There are going to be outbreaks," an unidentified official whom the SEC would not identify afterward told players on the call. "We're going to have cases on every single team in the SEC. That's a given. And we can't prevent it."
The players on the call were part of the SEC's "student-athlete leadership council." Some raised concerns about their safety, wondering how the schools plan to keep them safe -- particularly when the schools reopen and allow students back on campus. One of those players was Ole Miss linebacker MoMo Sanogo.
From The Washington Post's story:
MoMo Sanogo, a linebacker at the University of Mississippi, asked the officials on the call why his school planned to bring thousands of students to campus for fall classes. Sanogo said he has four classes per week, and he fears some of those classmates will go to bars and parties at night, then unknowingly infect football players during class.
The answer Sanogo received shed light on the pressure that university presidents, who rely on college football for prestige and revenue, face to reopen their campuses this fall, even as the pandemic surges. "It's one of those things where if students don't come back to campus, then the chances of having a football season are almost zero," an official who did not identify himself said.
The official later admitted to Sanogo that the proposed arrangement was "not fair" to athletes who could follow all the guidelines set out for them but still be infected by other students. The official also suggested that players try to set an example for their fellow students.
"As un-fun as it sounds," the official said, "the best thing that you can do is just try to encourage others to act more responsibly and not put yourself in those kinds of situations. I'm very comfortable with what we've done on campus. I'm concerned about what happens from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m."
Another player, who was not identified during the call, asked about the long-term effects of players who contract the virus but recover. Marshall Crowther, a sports medicine physician at Ole Miss, answered, "the problem is a lot of this we don't know. Catherine O'Neal, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases, said that young medical residents at her hospital who contracted the virus reported feeling exhausted for four to six weeks.
"Even though we're saying you're great because you're not hospitalized," said McNeal. "It's going to take something out of you."
When players asked the medical professionals on the call if they would let their children play, one responded that one of their sons has been playing baseball "for the last five, six weeks" and other kids who have been playing soccer. He wasn't concerned about them contracting the virus during play. He did finish by saying that "we can't be 100 percent. We're never going to be 100 percent."
Texas A&M linebacker Keeath Magee may have summed up the feelings of not only those on the call but also college football fans and Americans everywhere.
"You guys have answered a lot of questions the best way you could, and we really appreciate it," said Magee. "But as much as you guys don't know, it's not good enough. We want to play. We want to see football. We want to return to normal as much as possible. But it's just that with all this uncertainty, all this stuff that's still circulating in the air, y'all know it kind of leaves some of us still scratching my head. ... I feel like the college campus is the one thing that you can't control."
Shortly after the Washington Post story broke, the SEC released the following statement:
"The SEC hosts videoconferences with the SEC Football Student-Athlete Leadership Council to engage in candid conversation, share information and develop greater understanding of issues important to our student-athletes," read the statement. "The calls were intended to be confidential to encourage honest conversation. We are proud to provide our student-athletes with this forum and appreciate their willingness to engage with us on a regular basis.
"Wednesday a call was held, with the participation of our medical advisors, to provide insight and respond to student-athlete questions resulting from the uniqe environment produced by COVID-19. The information we gather while engaging with student-athletes helps inform Conference decisions and provides an opportunity to share information with our campus leaders to further enhance our continuing support of the student-athlete experience. The student-athletes on teh call expressed appreciation for the honest dialogue, indicated the discussion was beneficial and requested a similar videoconference in the future. As we all work to adapt to the realities of COVID-19, we will continue to support the health of SEC student-athletes."
The SEC announced its schedule plan for the 2020 season the day after the videoconference with the Student-Athlete Leadership Council. The schedule is a 10-game, conference-only slate that begins on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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SEC players express concerns with officials over college football season amid COVID-19 pandemic - CBS Sports
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