Nick Saban isn’t thrilled with the SEC’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Alabama football program has been extraordinarily careful dating back to this summer, with Saban even speaking out about bad habits in Tuscaloosa, which included a lack of social distancing. However, with the rising number of conference games postponed and/or canceled beginning to have a dramatic impact on the outlook of even finishing the SEC season, Saban has voiced his frustration with what he deems inconsistent protocol.
“Look, the social tracing part of it is the reason these games are being canceled,” Saban said on his radio show. “It’s not the number of players that are testing positive. Aight? We’ve been ‘round and around on this, even to the point where the people in the federal government, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and the people who work for him, told us that if you’re gonna get this, you’re gonna get it in seven days. OK? That’s the science. Aight? So you’re probably going to get it within five days, but seven days max.”
Saban’s comments come in the aftermath of Alabama vs LSU being postponed
Saban continued to voice his opposition to forcing players to sit out 14 days when they’re in close contact with someone who’s contracted COVID-19, despite the fact that, in most cases, anyone who contracts COVID-19 will do so within the first week or so. That extra 6-8 days is paramount when trying to field a team to play competitive college football.
“We should use the science to make sure we keep people safe, but when we have science that verifies what safe is, then we should use that,” Saban continued.
While Saban has every right to be upset, attacking the science behind the SEC’s COVID-19 regulations, which are based on CDC guidelines, isn’t the way to go. Playing all the way through any sort of college football season was always going to be a longshot.
The fact we’ve made it this far is a small miracle in itself, and something that ought to be embraced.
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