Wrong Answer, Coach Harsin

In his introduction to the SEC media in Birmingham on Thursday, first year Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin was asked about the COVID-19 vaccine. His response was, "I think we're in that 60% range." He continued, "This is a personal decision--it's deeply personal for a lot of people. So that's how we approach it: Here's the information, you make the decision."

Bzzzz! That was the wrong answer.

And before you fill my mailbox with your politics or your health concerns, this isn't about either one of those things. This is about winning football games.

At the risk of being trite, there is no "I" in "Team" (OK, there is a "me" if you rearrange the letters). When you play football, committing a personal foul is not a "personal decision."

The SEC has made the rule that if 85% of the team is vaccinated, you can avoid testing, masking, tracing, quarantining, and forfeiting. The last one is a biggie. This is not 2020. There will be no postponing this year. If you have an outbreak on your team, you play with what you have, or forfeit.

You may say that the players have legitimate concerns about the supposed health risks of getting vaccinated. If they are that concerned about health risks, they probably picked the wrong sport to play.

So, yeah, Coach, it's a personal decision like attending "voluntary" workouts are a personal decision.