A lot of us have thought for a long time that college football was more important than life itself in the Southeastern Conference.
Now we have proof.
Going back to the summer, when conferences like the Big 10 and the Pac-12 were thoughtfully considering whether or not to even have a 2020 football season, the SEC never wavered. Never once did the conference publicly consider postponing football season, even as the coronavirus raged through SEC country. When thousands of students at the University of Alabama contracted the virus within days of arriving back on campus, people there shrugged, “I wonder if Mack Jones can fill Tua’s shoes?”
The powers that run the SEC did make a couple of concessions. They pushed back the start of the season in order to allow for the inevitable spike in cases early on with kids coming back to school. The hope was the worst would be over before the abbreviated schedule – all league games with none of the non-conference cupcakes they’re all used to dining on.
It all started off fairly quietly. Then the football-above-all-else mindset began to take over, and the results have been predictably bad. Fines and postponements came first, for failures to adhere to mandated safety protocols. But things got worse.
Last week, Alabama coach Nick Saban and school Athletic Director Greg Bryne each tested positive after a plane flight home following a game. Saban managed to get some expediated testing (treatment us common folk don’t know about…wonder how he was able to do that?) and had enough negatives tests in his pocket that he was allowed to coach the Crimson Tide against arch-rival Georgia.
Another high profile SEC coach wasn’t so lucky.
Following his team’s loss to Texas A&M, Florida Coach Dan Mullen stuck his Nike’s squarely into his mouth, telling everyone who’d listen that he wanted a packed house – meaning more than 90,000 fans – for the Gators next home game against defending national champion LSU. In 98% of America, only a limited number of fans are being allowed to attend events like football games, and they have to remain socially distanced from one another while doing so. Not in Florida, however. Those in charge in the Sunshine State epitomize the “football’s more important than your grandma’s life” ideal. There are no longer any restrictions on crowd sizes in Florida, even as the virus rages on.
The inevitable karma backlash came a couple of days later. Mullen, two Florida assistants and at least 21 players all tested positive for the coronavirus, and the Gators next two games were postponed. And it STILL took Mullen several days to apologize “if he offended anyone” with his call for a packed stadium.
Pretty clearly – at least among SEC fans – he didn’t need to. But his statements should offend the rest of us, the ones who see people like Dr. Anthony Fauci as someone to trust when it comes to helping dictate social behaviors — not Dan Mullen.
Mullen, a former Gators assistant and successful head coach at Mississippi State, was the perfect fit when he was hired at Florida just after Thanksgiving 2017. But right now, he should be ashamed of himself.
He’s not just a football coach.
He’s a high profile leader and role model in his state. What he says and does sets an example for countless others. His disregard for common sense protocols (and for the record, the higher ups at UF went on record very quickly saying they were nevergoing to allow a full stadium, despite it being legal to do so) are a black eye on him and his program. Having a huge crowd to help his team win is the top priority? Wow. What thoughtful parent isn’t now going to hesitate to send his or her son to play for a coach that clearly still doesn’t understand that public health is more important than winning?
The rest of the season could get dicey for the SEC.
The worst may be yet to come.
They aren’t alone of course. Even conferences like the Big 10 and the Pac 12 who haven’t started playing yet are bound to be impacted. The virus continues to spread nationwide. Colleges and universities are petri dishes, and every day is a potential super-spreader event. The players are young and strong, and the odds are almost all will beat the virus even if they contract it. But coaches like Saban, in his mid-70’s, are in a more dangerous spot. Sadly, it may take a tragedy, such as the loss of someone well known in SEC circles, before the majority of SEC football fans – and one well-known coach – take this as seriously as they should.
Safety protocols like the ones the SEC hierarchy are now enforcing will help, but there’s only so much that can be done. At the very least, coaches like Saban and Mullen can come out vocally – and visually – in support of safety measures and help influence their followers to make the right choices. These men knew when they became coaches that the job entailed being a role model. This is the time to step up and show it.
Listen to Mark Knudson on Monday’s at 12:30 with Brady Hull on AM 1310 KFKA and on Saturday mornings on “Klahr and Kompany” on AM 1600 ESPN Denver.
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