Georgia football players express desire to play ball this fall

On Tuesday afternoon, Georgia sophomore linebacker Matthew Brown was interviewed on television by CNN along with former NFL player and ex-Bulldog Benjamin Watson about the risks of playing football amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Brown revealed, among other things, that he had been exposed to the virus but has since been cleared and continues to train with the Bulldogs. He also said that he’s all for playing football this fall.

“Personally, there’s a risk for everything,” said Brown, a walk-on from Guyton. “There’s risk in football; there’s risk in driving a car. But with my faith, I’m supposed to live life without fear. And with our medical staff, I have confidence that they’re going to take care of our team. With coach (Kirby) Smart and our leadership group, we just have to stay disciplined and follow our protocols. I feel like this is the best spot to be in.”

According to Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity, the players’ desire to play is one of the SEC’s primary motivations for continuing its efforts to conduct football this fall.

“We all recognize and appreciate the voices of the student-athletes who want to play,” McGarity said. “That’s very important. But we’ve made it very clear that we’ll listen to the (SEC’s) Medical Advisory Task Force to help us make decisions going forward. That’s the most important group. But it’s also important to know that these young men and women want to play sports.”

Both Brown and McGarity were sharing their thoughts in the wake of Tuesday’s news that the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences had decided to shutter all fall sports because of the coronavirus pandemic and the perceived health and safety risks for players. Later Tuesday, the Big 12 conference announced that it was joining the SEC and ACC in plans to try to still play football this fall. All three leagues are implementing delayed-start, conference-only schedules.

McGarity said all UGA athletes have been offered the opportunity to “opt out” of competition this fall. Last week, UGA sports medicine director Ron Courson said none have so far.

“They have belief in the trainers and belief in the system,” McGarity said. “It’s impossible for them to be in a better environment. If they don’t want to play, they can choose not to. It’s not like we’re forcing them to. Those that want to have expressed their desire to play.”

A growing number of Georgia players are saying publicly that they do. Several have shared that desire on social media using the #WeWantToPlay hashtag, including running backs James Cook and Zamir White, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and defensive lineman Malik Herring.

That is despite knowing more about COVID-19 than ever. Heightened concerns about the possible side effect of myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle that can have potentially serious consequences – is said to have contributed to bailouts of the Big Ten and Pac-12. The NCAA Council earlier this month passed legislation that forbids member schools from having athletes sign liability waivers.

Brown told CNN that players are aware of all that but still want to play football. That’s why they are continuing to work out and prepare as if the games are imminent.

“If it’s time to play, we’ll be ready to play,” Brown said. “If you stay prepared, you won’t have to prepare for the season. That’s just our mission and our focus and that’s going to be the case for the next few weeks, too.”

The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs are set to start preseason camp Aug. 17, with the first game scheduled for Sept. 26.