West Virginia President Gordon Gee Probably Shouldn't Play Football This Fall

Gordon Gee is the president of West Virginia University, and he believes college football will happen this fall. The 76-year-old Gee even offered to suit up. That might be a bad idea.

I'm going to level with you, Gordon, I don't think you could suit up and play college football right now. I mean, be real, man. You look like George Burns but with C. Montgomery Burns' skeletal structure and posture. It might be a bad idea to strap on your leather helmet and try to cover a kickoff. One hit from a yoked-up linebacker could turn you into something resembling powdered coffee creamer.

All joking aside, Gees is firmly in the camp of those who think college football will happen this fall, joining the growing chorus of athletics-minded folks who believe it will. The Big 12 and SEC seem to have already decided games will happen and the season will start on time. Though Gee did say they want to do it in a safe and healthy way which, frankly, probably doesn't exist. If one player in a locker room gets coronavirus there would be very little stopping it from spreading.

To play football anytime in the foreseeable future, players are almost certainly going to have to just accept the risks associated with it and plan to get infected at some point. There's no way to social distance in a locker room or on a playing field. There's also no way to pack people into a stadium safely.

Gee is likely just being an optimist here and putting out a positive message. But it feels far too early to take that seriously.

Here's one last thing to consider: Gee is 76 years old and should be quarantining full-time due to being in a high-risk demographic. Is he willing to put his students and student-athletes in a position where they are forced to congregate when he himself isn't? Those are some terrible optics to deal with.