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Jenni Carlson: Why OU, OSU football break for Christmas is good for players' mental health

Daily Oklahoman - 12/24/2020

Dec. 24—Nik Bonitto had decided to stay in Norman for Christmas.

Even after he found out OU coach Lincoln Riley was giving players a few days off around the holiday, the Sooner linebacker figured the trip home to Florida would be too much. He was only getting three days off. He would hardly have any time with family.

Staying on campus seemed the right thing to do.

"But my mom didn't really give me much of a choice," he said.

She wanted him home.

"I'm definitely heading home now," he said.

As many college football teams are preparing for bowl games, many of those same teams are cutting loose their players for a holiday break. Coaches, including those at OU and OSU, are going against their nose-to-the-grindstone tendencies to pause bowl practices and give players time at home this Christmas.

Call it a Christmas miracle.

A win for players' mental health, too.

This has been a college football season like no other, the pandemic not only casting a constant pall but also keeping players in quasi-bubbles for nearly six months. They've seen their teammates, coaches and professors, though lots of players took all their classes virtually, so face-to-face contact has been limited. Trips home have been minimal as have visits from family.

I had a parent of a player in a major-college program tell me recently that even though they traveled to all the games this season, they only saw their son for a few minutes afterward. Everyone was masked. No one hugged. And certainly, no one got together for a meal or anything.

Now, every program may not be as stringent as that, but the demands on the players have been higher than ever.

Add in the fight for social justice, and the mental strain has been extreme.

"I'd be lying if I said it was easy being up here and not being able to go home since June, July," Sooner quarterback and Arizona native Spencer Rattler said. "It was definitely a grind this year."

OU center Creed Humphrey said, "We've had to stay isolated this whole season, haven't been able to be around people, haven't been able to see family. That definitely weighs heavy on you. You're not used to that."

The way he talked, it sure sounded like it has weighed heavy on him.

And remember, Humphrey is a fourth-year player. He's more mature, more capable of handling the stresses and strains that normally come with the season. And still, something in his voice sounded tired.

"It's a huge deal for us," Humphrey said of the Christmas break.

The truth is, giving players time off is a risk.

First of all, it's a risk in a macro sense. If they do travel, they'll go against the recommendations of health and medical experts who are discouraging holiday travel in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Everyone is being told to stay put.

One caveat, though: very few people on planet Earth have been tested more than major-college football players.

As they practiced earlier this week, the Sooners and the Cowboys both continued with the Big 12's testing protocols. Three tests a week. Quarantine if positive. That means players aren't going to leave campus if they're positive.

The likelihood that they would take the virus back to their family members is small.

Players could catch it while they're home, of course, and that's the micro part of the risk. Upon returning to campus, they could test positive and miss their bowl. It would be bad for the player, of course, but it'd be bad for their team, too. OU and OSU may well find out on short notice that they'll be without some players.

In an attempt to avoid that, the head coaches at both places have talked to players about being extremely careful when they are home, not only for the players' health but also for the well-being of the team.

"Try to stay away from people as much as possible," Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said of his message to players. "As much as you want to hug and kiss on everybody, you've got to refrain from it right now."

Gundy and Riley want players to wear their masks and keep their distance as much as possible, but they know that can't eliminate all the risk.

Still, the coaches giving the players a chance to go home because they believe there's a risk to keep them on campus, too. These guys need a mental break, a chance to be with their families and recharge their batteries.

"I haven't been home ... since this COVID thing kicked off," said OU fullback Jeremiah Hall, who is from North Carolina. "I'm glad that Coach Riley acknowledges that being with our family during the holidays is something important."

Sooner defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said, "Being in the dorm on Christmas Day ... it's not fair to them."

Lots of things during this pandemic aren't fair, and while sending hundreds of players out onto the highways and byways isn't without peril, keeping them sequestered on campus isn't without risk either.

There are few perfect answers during a pandemic, but this is a win for mental health.

"We've been going hard at it for a couple months now," Bonitto said. "Coach Riley, he's blessing us with going back home and just getting away and spending a couple days with our family.

"It is really appreciated."

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

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