Beshear describes what’s needed for UK to play football, fill stadium during COVID-19
The chance that the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field will be filled this fall with football fans depends on whether a vaccine or effective treatment is found against COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.
Beshear’s comment was gloomier than UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart’s message to football season ticket-holders this month that UK is planning for football games to be played in the fall. The first home game is Sept. 5 against Eastern Michigan.
Beshear talked about college, high school and summer sports in a 20-minute interview on the Kentucky Sports Radio network with host Matt Jones. He also said he feels “good” public schools will reopen this fall if current trajectories on the incidences of the virus hold and there are no spikes.
“That’s my goal,” he said.
Jones asked Beshear about UK football this fall, acknowledging that Beshear will not make the final decision on whether it will happen. The Southeastern Conference and colleges will determine that.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey recently said the conference is proceeding as if football and other fall college sports will be played on schedule. It would be harder if a state government says it should not be done.
“A lot of that will depend on where we are with the virus mainly in the terms of either vaccine or effective treatment,” Beshear said.
He said he was “encouraged” that multiple companies are working on vaccines and some even have started production during trials to be ready.
Asked if parents of high school football players will see their children on game fields this fall, Beshear said, “We’re not really there yet. We don’t know.”
He said his “first, overall goal” for students is to get them back to school this fall.
Concerning youth sports this summer, the governor said there probably will be some with limited contact. His most recent Phase 2 reopening guidelines included a “potential” start date of June 15 for “low-touch and outdoor youth sports.”
He mentioned swimming and baseball, but none likely with prolonged contact. “It’s different for basketball and football,” he said, but suggested practicing might be possible with specific plans.
On the show, Beshear also preached the benefits of wearing masks in public and said opening childcare centers is one of his biggest challenges. He is looking at reopening them June 15.
He said he knows it is not fair to childcare operators but noted “this disease is not fair.”
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
