Nick Saban speculates fans will need the vaccine to attend games

Alabama head coach Nick Saban wondered if stadiums will require fans to be vaccinated in order to attend games this season.

Will college football stadiums require fans to show proof of vaccination in order to attend?

That’s the question on Nick Saban’s mind with the season quickly approaching.

Mark Schlabach asked Saban if he is confident we’ll see full-capacity stadiums this season. The Alabama head coach doesn’t sound too sure.

“Somebody else has got to make that decision. Do you just let vaccinated people in? Do you say everybody can come to the game at their own risk?” Saban said in a Q&A with ESPN. “I don’t know what they’ll decide based on all of that. I’d love to be able to get back to normal, but somebody has to make a decision about what’s really safe.”

Nick Saban wants to get back to normal but isn’t sure about full stadiums

Saban told ESPN that all but one player on his team is vaccinated. He’s done all he can to make sure Alabama’s season isn’t interrupted by COVID-19.

“They say if 90 percent is vaccinated, you’re OK, but who knows?” he said. “At least if you’re vaccinated, you don’t have to quarantine guys.”

While the Crimson Tide have embraced the vaccine, many states in the SEC footprint haven’t made enough headway convincing people to get vaccinated. That could mean greater restrictions for stadium attendance with the Delta Variant of COVID-19 contributing to overloaded hospitals.

Saban is asking the right question, but he could look to athletic director Greg Byrne and other higher-ups at the university for the answer. Alabama itself should be responsible for setting the standard and requiring vaccines at Bryant-Denny Stadium this fall.

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