Trying to keep everyone safe during a pandemic requires people knowing exactly what they’re facing. With COVID-19, there have been plenty of attempts at educating the public — whether it’s come via experts or the first-hand experience of someone like Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert — but we can always stand to do a little bit better to get the message out there of how people can stay safe, whether they get coronavirus or not.
One such person trying to play a role in making sure people know what’s going on is LSU football coach Ed Orgeron. In a video posted by Louisiana governor Jon Bel Edwards, Orgeron laid out a “gameplan for keeping residents as safe as possible,” saying that “for every winning team, a key to success is to learn the playbook.”
When Coach O speaks, we all listen.
For more information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit: https://t.co/89sZCjY9n3@Coach_EdOrgeron @LADeptHealth #lagov #lalege #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OxJ5u2xBmo
— Gov. John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) March 14, 2020
Orgeron laid out a handful of measures that you’ve probably heard — coughing into your elbow, washing your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds, staying home if you feel ill, calling a doctor if you believe you need a test, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, and protecting those who are at-risk, either directly or by taking “care as you go about your daily business.”
“We’re all in this together,” Orgeron said. “Let’s team up and protect our health.”
There’s an argument to be made that coaches across all sports should be making these kinds of videos if only because they’re frequently the highest-paid public employee in most states. But putting that aside, Orgeron is awfully high on the list of the most famous and beloved people in the state of Louisiana right now, and it’s really great to see that he’s using his platform like this. Hopefully coaches in other sports, whether they be professional or college, follow suit.
