Facebook post from Freshman UI OL Brady Feeney's mom after he contracted COVID
Intense Facebook post here from Debbie Rucker, mother of Indiana freshman OL Brady Feeney. pic.twitter.com/Ula5lBQfO2
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 3, 2020
Seems like if there is a season we're going to have to get used to a lot of this kind of thing.
Given many of your previous posts on this subject, I find this response hilarious. Sadly, it’s not a funny topic. You justify your view of the world through data and “facts” ignoring the human element, and now the data has changed and suddenly it is the CDC, WHO, Fauci, etc who will be at fault for letting this pass.
In the real world, not a lab or classroom, experts often times have to make decisions with very little information. The CDC, WHO and Fauci have been screaming the warnings and recommendations for months. Some politicians and their following idiots have ridiculed them for it.
August 4th, 2020 at 12:13 AM ^
This is a political view and not a reasoned one. Yes, if the threat of long term effects from Covd is real, it falls squarely on the shoulders of scientists globally for not prioritizing it. I don't care how that fits into your political worldview.
And no, those agencies have not been talking about long term effects in the terms that are required - assuming this threat is real. Glancing mentions and "we just don't know" nothings aren't leadership. They need to say, "here are 5 studies, the results are alarming,set aside hospitalizations and death rates for a moment - those mattered for the last 7 months so that's what we talked about, but they are supplemented now by a new threat of long term effects which may affect a large percentage of those who get Covd. We don't have all the answers but we've seen enough that we're demanding action. Another stay at home may be needed because of this new evidence."
When they do that, the country (and world, since no one globally has done this) will know this threat is real. They haven't done so, maybe because they don't believe it is yet. They have to make this specific question the most urgent priority and get evidence.
We are in hyper-political times during a hyper-health and economic crisis so less science based info is getting through that hyper-political filter. I mean, the move of covid related dated from the CDC to HHS in the middle of a pandemic is ominous.
This pandemic layered on top of the most intensely partisan presidential election where the president has a long-standing history of disinformation and conspiracy theories is a recipe for disaster.
I'm in the UK and you see many of the same issues with Boris but no one out Trumps, Trump. And even with Boris' bumbling the UK was able to get it under control (at least temporarily...too many crowded Pubs, and European holidays for that to last) primarily because the country had less disinformation make it through the press, had a much more intensive lockdown and has a national health care system that people here love (people followed the guidelines to protect the NHS staff).
“And get evidence”. You are asking for long term evidence on something that is approximately 8 months into it’s existence in the U.S. Given past and present experience, you can’t trust anything that comes from China and there are very few other countries to draw on for data which are similar enough to the U.S. This is why all of the orgs mentioned + Fauci have been urging great caution for months now. They will not have good long term data until it is too late so they are urging caution now based on what they have seen so far. If you want good solid evidence, track me down in 25 years if I’m still alive. We’ll have all of the evidence you need to make a solid decision on how we should have handled this pandemic now.
August 5th, 2020 at 11:38 AM ^
"Stopping everything" is going to have catastrophic consequences too, if it were even possible. Stopping HS & college sports is certaintly possible but will it stop infections in those age groups? No. Will it reduce infections in those age groups? Maybe. Will shutting down in-person K-12 & college education stop infections? No. Will it reduce infections? Probably, but at what other costs? Will shutting down the economy completely stop covid? No. Will it reduce infections? Yes, but at a terrible cost in other ways.
Finally, will a safe & effective vaccine stop covid overall? Probably not. Will it greatly reduce infections, particularly among the most vulnerable who choose to participate? YES!! Only then can life as we knew it resume more-or-less normally. CAN'T. COME. SOON. ENOUGH!!!
I hope he heals. However, he was not "in perfect health". He weighs 285 lbs. At that weights and being 6'4'', he's medically classified as obese and thus he'd be considered at risk. That's the elephant in the room that no one is talking about: Linemen are at risk due to their excess weight.
August 3rd, 2020 at 11:20 PM ^
Obesity is determined beyond simple BMI calculations, especially if you are talking about athletes or people with increased musculature. For example, LeBron James is listed at 6'8" and 260lbs. According to the BMI chart, that's somewhat overweight. And yet, James is likely in better shape that most "healthy" people you'd meet. Yes, Freeney is larger than your average person, but I also have my doubts his weight put him at a higher incidence rate for this disease compared to others in his age bracket.
August 5th, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
Even without obesity definitions considered, it does seem as if the bigger one is the greater the danger from covid. I don't have any study to back that up but diabetes is a BIG risk factor.
She brought up the scary bottom line. Even if the schools do everything in their power to protect the players, that’s not going to magically stop the spread.
I’ve loved college football for many years but I’m praying that the season gets cancelled. I don’t want the players to be in more danger than they have to be.
Bob Costas was right when he said we WANT football, we don’t NEED it.
Please cancel the season and let’s hope we can get it back in 2021.
While I’m in the cancel the season camp, I also like to think about these issues from a social sciences perspective.
for example, these kids play in a sport where dozens of kids every week get serious concussions that have known, long lasting impacts. At the end of the day each person and family needs to make their own decisions based on the information available. From a social sciences perspective, though, I’d love to see literature on the decision making process and the risk/reward considerations families debate.
August 3rd, 2020 at 11:10 PM ^
I'd like to see it as well, but my guess is it's the same as people who decide to follow certain professions with elevated risks. They internally weigh the dangers vs the rewards and then employ as many safety precautions as they can to mitigate that risk. And, to be frank, people are generally bad at statistics and assume bad things happen to others.
But the analogy with COVID19 and sports, to me, is driving. Everyone sort of gets that there's a small but real chance you could die behind the wheel when you start driving. But most people wear belts, follow proper driving protocols, and travel in good weather. They mitigate as best they can, and it's why you don't see a ton of people traveling at night in a rain storm with only one light unless they absolutely have to. Playing now just feels like risky, and it's why you see people bow out. And unlike concussions and other injuries, which are sort of baked into the nature of the sport, COVID-19 isn't a natural part of the sport and, perhaps more importantly, has a foresseable-ish ending. So that's a danger players seem to recognize they may be able to mitigate simply by waiting.
While I agree to an extent we do have to consider that there is a societal aspect of a communicable virus that you don't have with sports injuries. And in this case its even more complex because of the hidden/asymptomatic nature of covid.
August 3rd, 2020 at 10:56 PM ^
Man that sounds terrifying. Hope he recovers without lasting injury.
Part of me wants to write "Three game season. Ohio. Sparty. Penn State."
But the rest of me recognizes this as the "bargaining" stage of grief.
And yet we plow forward with opening up schools. Academia stubbornness at its finest.
WTF is UI?
A friend posted this to FB. First day of school in a Georgia high school today (or yesterday maybe). Masks optional b/c governor will not allow them to mandate masks. Already went to war with the city of Atlanta over it. SMH.
