Hours before two major college football leagues announced the postponement of the fall season, Gov. DeSantis met with leaders from Florida State University to discuss the want for fall sports during the pandemic.
"We want to make sure that we value the opportunities for our athletes in the state of Florida," DeSantis said, noting he supports FSU and other schools having their football programs this fall.
"We want you guys to play..." DeSantis said to defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and receiver Keyshawn Helton, the two players at the discussion.
The roundtable discussion at the Seminoles' training facility came as two leagues and three schools had already canceled their seasons. Shortly after the discussion between the governor and FSU, the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences announced their teams won't be playing football this year because of concerns over COVID-19.
FSU President John Thrasher said two commissioners from the top five college athletic conferences shared some concerns over the weekend about returning to playing football in the fall. Specifically, the new concern is a heart condition linked to COVID-19 and its impact on college sports. However, Thrasher said he believes the ACC and the SEC (part of the top five conferences) are aligned when it comes to having fall programs.
"Our coaches want to coach, and our players want to play," Thrasher said.
Thrasher said testing of players is done weekly now and would be done bi-weekly during the season. Players also have temperature checks when they come in and are given an armband if approved.
He said the testing is done on campus, and results are returned in 24 hours. Contact tracing is also being done if someone tests positive for coronavirus.
Thrasher emphasized that he and other university leaders believe FSU can play football safely this fall. It will be up to university presidents to decide if other schools and conferences will play this season.
"(We) want to send a message to other schools that it is in the best interest of our athletes to play ball," Thrasher said.
Later Tuesday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said he remains "comfortable with the thorough and deliberate approach that the SEC and our 14 members are taking to support a healthy environment for our student-athletes."
The ACC likewise released a statement saying it is "pleased with the protocols being administrated on our 15 campuses."
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