Gamecocks ‘rapidly approaching’ SEC target for COVID vaccinations, Beamer says
Times are changing and the Southeastern Conference’s leaders continue to adjust.
During his annual address to reporters Monday at SEC Media Days, Commissioner Greg Sankey channeled Bob Dylan’s words as he described the ever-evolving landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it will affect college football this fall.
Sankey, who has been a proponent of vaccinating players and coaches, devoted a bulky portion of his speech to encouraging those in and around the conference.
“We have learned how to manage through a COVID environment,” Sankey said. “But we do not yet have control of a COVID environment, and that finds us preparing to return towards normal this fall, but we see realities around us.”
Sankey said Monday that six of the SEC’s 14 teams have already hit an 80% vaccination threshold. South Carolina is not yet one of those teams.
Speaking with local media members later in the afternoon, USC head coach Shane Beamer said the Gamecocks are “rapidly approaching” that 80% vaccination threshold and that the offseason has been spent educating the players and staff.
Beamer noted he and his staff are “educating” versus “encouraging,” though a number of efforts have been made to give his team more and more information on the vaccine. Experts from the conference and in-house doctors at South Carolina have spoken with the team, for example. Beamer also said meetings have been held with players’ parents to further educate everyone involved.
“We want to educate them,” Beamer said. “I think a lot of our guys have heard different false information, misconceptions about the vaccine and we want those guys to be able to ask questions freely with the doctors that we’ve provided for them.”
During the 2020 season, COVID-19 issues forced South Carolina out of the Gasparilla Bowl against UAB.
“Our team competed hard all season, despite injuries, positive COVID tests and contact testing, and several opt outs late in the year,” USC athletic director Ray Tanner said in a news release announcing the cancellation of the bowl game.
Beyond localized education efforts, recent events in the sports world have served as a motivator of sorts. North Carolina State was eliminated from the College World Series one win shy of the national championship games due to rampant COVID-19 issues among the squad. The Yankees and Red Sox also had their series disrupted in recent days after a rash of COVID-19 cases on New York.
Sankey told reporters Monday that the SEC still has roster minimums in place from last season that would allow teams to withdraw from a game should they fall below a 60 scholarship player threshold. However, he did note he’s suggested the minimums be pulled as a way to incentivize players get vaccinated.
Sankey also said that games will not be rescheduled should teams not be able to field enough players, though he stopped short of saying they’d be declared forfeits.
“It’s not a political football,” Sankey said of the vaccine. “And we need to do our part to support a healthy society because, as we look back, the potential absence of college sports last year caused us to think about not losing sight of the lifelong experiences, the laboratory of learning that takes place, and the educational benefits that accrue to the people who participate on our teams.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 4:15 PM.
