Patrick Nix reacts to pandemic football critics

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Patrick Nix reacts to pandemic football critics

By Ben Thomas | bthomas@al.com

5-7 minutes

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Patrick Nix has seen the negative headlines about playing high school football during the COVID-19 era.

The Central-Phenix City head coach and former Auburn quarterback understands more than most the concerns of the situation.

His son Caleb is the Red Devils’ starting quarterback.

His son Bo is Auburn University’s starting quarterback.

Still, his messages are clear:

Students need extra-curricular activities, including football. And coaches, teachers and leaders around the state are doing everything in their power to allow that to happen and allow it to happen safely.

“We are helping kids,” Nix told AL.com this week. “We aren’t hurting kids. We are helping kids. That is why I got into coaching. If we aren’t here to help kids and protect kids, I don’t need to be here. That’s what it is all about for so many coaches around the state.”

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Week 2 of the Alabama high school football season started Thursday night with more than 60 games statewide. An even larger slate is on tap Friday night. Nix’s Central-Phenix City team travels to Eufaula on Friday for its second game.

Some experts and critics – and even several coaches in the state – have argued that football shouldn’t be played right now. That it is not safe to do so.

Other experts say it could be more dangerous to the future of student-athletes NOT to play. Dr. David Bruce, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at Erlanger Orthopaedics in Chattanooga, Tenn., falls in the latter category.

“There’s no doubt COVID-19 is bad,” Bruce said in an article for TimesFreePress.com. “For the older population and people with preexisting health issues, there’s a danger that is worse than the flu. But that’s not the case at all for kids. For young adults, particularly those 18 and under, the data tells us this virus is nowhere near as dangerous as the flu.

“So far there have been fewer than 100 kids under the age of 16 who have died from this, while last year alone the flu killed nearly 500 kids in that same age group, but we didn’t shut down athletics because of it.”

He said clearly there are people who need to avoid exposing themselves to certain situations but also stressed that everyone should understand the long-term affects of taking activities away from young people. Dr. James Robinson, the AHSAA’s medical director, told AL.com the same thing earlier this month.

Nix saw the benefits playing high school football can have for the health and future of his students once again this past week.

True, his team lost its opener to 7A power Hoover last week in a game scheduled just three days before kickoff. However, he said multiple Red Devils garnered college attention and some college offers by just being on the field that night. Notably, wide receiver Jackson Meeks added a Georgia offer to a growing list after a big game against the Bucs.

“Jackson already had some offers but when Georgia comes in, that is a pretty big deal,” Nix said. “We had some young players out there who hadn’t played before, who needed game film. Because they have it now, colleges are interested. A lot of these kids will earn college scholarships and have a chance at a college education because they are on the field right now. I don’t see why anyone would want to take that away from them.”

Nix also detailed the numerous safety measures he and his staff have followed to make sure his team has a chance to play this fall. They include using separate locker rooms, taking temperatures each day, having individual water bottles for players, wearing masks and social distancing. That’s just a start, he said.

“We are doing everything we can possibly do to keep our kids safe and – not only that – but to keep the rest of our school and community safe,” Nix said. “We have sent kids home who have shown symptoms or been around someone who showed symptoms. We are following every guideline the AHSAA and the Alabama Department of Health have set forth.”

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Even in following those guidelines, some teams around the state are currently shut down due to positive COVID tests. Those include Hueytown, Vincent, Moody, B.C. Rain, Dothan, Jackson-Olin and Blount. Still, Nix – with two children on the football field – believes they are safer there than other places.

“Bo is much safer at Auburn playing football than he is anywhere else,” Nix said. “They are testing 2-3 times a week. If something does happen, they have the technology to treat it. He is so much safer there than even at home.

“I think Caleb is safer on the football field as well. Obviously, we want to keep him safe, keep our family safe, keep our community safe. That is why we are doing everything we can to clean equipment, wash hands, stay distant when possible. We want to give our kids every chance to play football and do it as safely as possible.

“They need the game of football. That’s the bottom line. Honestly, I would be concerned that -- if some kids didn’t have football -- they might not be in school. It’s important as is every other extra-curricular activity. They provide some life lessons you can’t get from a book or a classroom. They need that balance.”

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[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Russell County head coach Mark Rose (who played under Pat Dye at AU has a different take.

https://oanow.com/sports/high-school/rose-not-playing-during-pandemic-isnt-about-toughness/article_7631127c-e62e-11ea-82b3-e703c35f03fc.html

[oracle79 3,569]

He has a right to express his opinion. But, in the end, it's his decision whether to continue coaching or not. Just as it's every parent's/kid's decision to play if allowed to by whatever organization they're part of that makes the decision to play or not to play.