Dr. Atlas on fate of college football amid COVID-19: 'Couldn't get a better, safer environment'
Dr. Scott Atlas, Hoover Institution, discusses the future of college sports
College athletes are in the best situation to safely play their sport during the coronavirus pandemic, Hoover Institution senior fellow Dr. Scott Atlas told “The Story” Monday night.
Atlas said he agreed with Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who tweeted Monday that people "are at just as much, if not more risk" of contracting the virus if there is no college football this fall.
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"Players will all be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they were to contract covid19 [sic]," Lawrence wrote.
“He is an incredibly mature, insightful young man,” Atlas said of the 20-year-old Lawrence. “He's nailing something right away, which is that the environment of college sports and athletes is a very, very sophisticated environment. They have health care. They are very controlled. There's accountability. They couldn't get a better and safer environment, no matter what environment you're from.”
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Atlas added that college students are at an age where they have little to no risk from the virus, while players or coaches with comorbidities have the option to opt out.
“We have to become rational here,” he said. “The risk for people that age is less than seasonal influenza. I mean, you have to really look at the data ...You can't say it's all about the science and then act contrary to science.”
“If people are afraid or if they have comorbidities and are afraid, I'm sure it's ok that they can opt out,” he said. “But there's no reason to shut down out of fear here."
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