I fully recognize the passion associated with coaching and competing, Sankey added. Yet we will all be watched closely and must be certain to comply with masking, distancing and hygiene protocols to minimize the potential spread of Covid-19.
Without elaboration, he said that conference officials would take additional action, if necessary, to ensure adherence” to health protocols.
In the meantime, the conspicuous violations of mask policies have alarmed some experts and revived questions about how closely athletic programs nationwide are following health rules away from television cameras.
A survey of more than 1,200 college athletic trainers that was released last month found that just 47 percent of coaches and staff members across sports were fully compliant with safety protocols related to the virus. The survey, conducted by the National Athletic Trainers Association, also found that roughly 7 percent of coaches and staff members did not follow the rules at all.
Despite the high-profile lapses, some coaches, including a handful in the SEC, have openly embraced masks, beyond lending their faces to the public service announcement.
Sam Pittman, the Arkansas coach who scrupulously wore a mask during last weekends loss to Georgia, said in an interview that he had spent part of the off-season testing face coverings to see which would best let him speak into his headset. He said he had used a mask during practices to become more accustomed to it.
I couldnt live with myself if I thought I had transferred the virus to somebody, and I know we get tests and all of those things, but I dont want to get it and I dont want to give it to somebody, Pittman said. But it really has become habit.read more
Football’s Return Is Fodder for Mask Debates and an Enforcement Dilemma
