Lincoln Riley is the Only College Football Coach With Sensible COVID-19 Opinion

Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley, one of the most successful commanders in college football over the last three seasons, continues to earn praise off the field for his response to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as a football coach and leader of young men.

Riley claims that he's not a fan of having teams report to campus on June 1 for practices, stating that not doing so is in the best interest of his team.

"It's our job as football coaches that we've got to look way, way beyond what's best for our own team," Riley said. "For a lot of coaches, that's hard. We're wired to do everything we can to help our teams win. This is totally different."

Riley's comments and behavior are in direct contrast to that of West Virginia president E. Gordon Gee. who stated that he would be willing to suit up if it meant that we could have football in the fall, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who ignored stay-at-home statutes and took a vacation to Florida during the crisis.

Showing maturity and levelheadedness when his older contemporaries are pitching fits over the thought of one practice being cancelled should earn Riley nothing but the highest praise, as he is putting the health of his players (and others) above any sort of win-loss record or fiscal profit.

While most college coaches would be willing to jeopardize the health of dozens in the name of a football game, Riley is taking the right approach, which is valuing health and safety over playing Kansas on time in 2020.