Ed Orgeron: Our players want to play, the SEC wants to play

LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron was adamant that both the school and the SEC plan to play football in the fall in a Tuesday interview with Fox News.

LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron insisted that the school has “no Plan B” with regards to the 2020 football season in a Tuesday interview with Fox News, amid news that the Big Ten has canceled the fall season and the Pac-12 is likely to follow.

Orgeron was adamant that his players, and the SEC as a whole, want the season to take place, and threw support behind both President Trump and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“I do have to give it to our commissioner for waiting to get the most information and making the correct decision for our football team and I do believe he will do that,” Orgeron said, per 247Sports, before stating, “I love President Trump … and I think he’s doing a fantastic job.”

While Orgeron appears optimistic, the recent surge in coronavirus cases in Louisiana and other parts of the southeastern United States present a dire threat to the SEC’s plan to play football.

Without a substantial decline in cases and the enforcement of mask-wearing and social distancing measures in these states, the conference may have no decision but to cancel its season to ensure the safety of players.

A vaccine is still at least a few months away from being available to the public, and even young athletes are susceptible to long-term health effects, despite the low mortality rate for their age group.

While players have argued that playing football will actually make them safer, it looks increasingly likely that the Power Five conferences will choose not to play football in the fall, with the Big Ten and Pac-12 decisions reportedly final and Sankey stating that the SEC will not play if all other conferences cancel.

Although no fans want to see the college season canceled, it may be the best way to protect the health and safety of student-athletes, and commissioners and athletic directors could have to make a difficult decision despite the inevitable criticism that they will receive.

Orgeron, however, does not seem to be concerned.

“We’re not blinking. We’re preparing to play and we’re preparing to win,” he said.

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