United States Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams on Monday night addressed the University of Alabama football team via video teleconference.
This continues a storied history of head coach Nick Saban having prominent speakers address the team, although the reason for this visit was unique.
Saban told members of the media on Monday after the team’s first day of fall practice that he had invited Adams to be a direct, expert resource for his players amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“[W]e’re trying to inform our players and give them the best possible education on every possible health and medical issues that COVID-19 can possibly present to them,” Saban remarked.
The coach and star players on the team have publicly voiced that the team wants to play this fall season and feel comfortable doing so with the program’s heightened health and safety protocols in place. The SEC is currently moving ahead with plans to play, including Monday’s release of the new regular season schedule and Tuesday’s release of guidelines for game days this fall.
Alabama Football on Tuesday shared a more than two-minute video clip of Adams’ address.
Speaking to the players, Adams said, “Each of you has some very important — and, if we’re going to be honest, some potentially life-altering — decisions to make, and I want you to have the facts to make informed decisions that give the best chance at success.”
After giving some advice on personal social distancing and hygiene measures that players should focus on, the surgeon general complimented the protocols in place on an institutional basis at UA.
“I want to tell you, I’ve looked at your plans. I want to tell you straight: you are very lucky to have the resources of the Alabama Athletics Department,” Adams said. “And again, honestly my opinion, your risk in practice with other players and coaches based on everything I’ve seen are likely to be very low — and lower than what your risk would be if you were back home in your community or even if you were just out on campus.”
It should be noted that each University of Alabama student returning to campus for the fall 2020 semester is mandated under the university’s plan to take a test to determine whether they have the virus.
As of Monday, results from 25,948 students were available, showing only 237 students tested positive.
This equates to a positivity rate of 0.91%, which is significantly lower than the general population both statewide and nationwide. Experts have identified positivity rates of under 5% as being ideal for reopening, making the university’s rate exceptional.
“Your coaches are going to take care of you and do the right things while you’re practicing and on the field,” Adams further told the Bama players. “It’s on you to make sure you’re modeling good behavior off-the-field and demanding it of everyone around you.”
“Be leaders,” he added. “This is about football, but it’s about so much more than football. It’s about using that opportunity that God gave you to play football so that you can change the world for the better, both within your immediate environment and in the larger environment.”
Watch the full clip:
“You are very lucky to have the resources at the Alabama Athletic department… your risk in practice is lower than what it would be out in the community” – Jerome M. Adams, @Surgeon_General
Surgeon General of the United States#BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/Vrn6hApEpw— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) August 18, 2020
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
