LSU Coach Ed Orgeron on Playing Football During Pandemic: 'This Country Needs It'

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron said that the country “needs football,” during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the school on Tuesday.

The coach made his comments during a roundtable discussion held at Tiger Stadium about reopening the state’s schools despite the continuing coronavirus scare, ESPN reported.

“We need to play. This state needs it. This country needs it,” Orgeron said to the vice president’s hearty support.

The coach added that it is possible to handle the coronavirus and keep students and teachers safe.

“I don’t think we can take this away from our players, take this away from our state and our country,” Orgeron added. “We need football. Football is the lifeblood of our country.

“We have our team back, ready to go. We need football,” the coach concluded.

As of last week, LSU administrators insisted that the school will be reopened for the fall semester, but “Capacity in our classrooms, common areas, and residence and dining halls will be limited in accordance with CDC and state guidelines.

“That means some classes will be held in-person, some will be remote, and some will be a hybrid of both,” the school added. “We’ll also be wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing, and greatly enhancing our cleaning processes. In addition, we’ll be testing some members of our LSU Family on a voluntary basis to better understand the virus’ presence in our community, as well as establishing a contact tracing program to more fully protect those who may have come in contact with someone carrying COVID-19.”

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