Washington Huskies: What we learned from Jimmy Lake’s 8/14 press conference
Washington Huskies Head Football Coach Jimmy Lake addressed the media on Friday about the Pac-12’s decision to cancel football this fall.
As Washington Huskies fans already know there will be no UW football this fall. Earlier this week the Pac-12 Conference canceled not only football but all athletics until January 2021. Friday, head coach Jimmy Lake addressed the media via video conference about the issue. Here are a few things we learned from his remarks.
Players handling a dynamic situation
The first thing Lake did was to praise his team. The players have handled a very difficult and ever-changing situation very well. It started when his team returned for testing and adapted to safety protocols the university put in place.
He also said he was proud of how the team adjusted to a delayed start to the season and conference-only schedule. They also did well with disruptions in day-to-day activities such as workouts and team meetings.
Lake supports Pac-12’s decision
Of course, the players and staff are disappointed by not playing. Lake believes the Pac-12 made the right call about pulling the plug on fall sports. In light of so much uncertainty about the virus, its re-emergence, and possible long term health effects there was no other choice.
“Right now there’s way (more) questions than answers,” Lake said. “I don’t want our team to be guinea pigs, I don’t want our staff to be guinea pigs. If things are not going to be safe, we need to err on the side of caution.”
Our medical team did a good job of describing the reasons why we’re postponing the season. So even though there’s disappointment I know our team understands the reasons why we made the decision.”
Other conferences will follow the Pac-12 and Big Ten
So far the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 have all said they plan to play in 2020. Lake believes that the three other conferences that make up the rest of the Power 5 will follow the Pac-12 and Big Ten in canceling fall football.
“The Pac-12 and the Big Ten have led the way in terms of going to conference only. We’ve led the way in terms of keeping the health and safety of our staff and our players as our number one priority. And I expect all three (other) conferences to follow suit.”
Optimistic for Huskies spring football
Lake feels good about the chances his Washington Huskies football team will take the field next semester.
“I know that when the time is right they will tell us we can play.”
What he didn’t say
Meanwhile, there is no reason to believe that anything will change regarding COVID-19 after the new year. The Pac-12’s punt could wind up blocked. Who will be on the field for a spring season? Several players with professional aspirations such as cornerback Elijah Molden may not want to risk injury by playing football so close to the NFL Draft.
As a matter of fact, there are zero guarantees that the NFL will change either the combine or draft dates. It’s certainly a leap of faith that they will. Then there are issues about eligibility, scholarship limits, and playing two seasons on top of each other.
Washington's Jimmy Lake says Pac-12 postponement right move https://t.co/jJyDSaWyrN
— FOX 13 Seattle (@fox13seattle) August 14, 2020
Lake was right. There are more questions than answers.