Six Pro Women's Soccer Players Test Positive For Coronavirus
LEMON: The coronavirus is spreading across the sports world, infecting an alarming number of professional athletes. Six players on the Orlando Pride of National Women's Soccer League are tested positive, forcing the team to withdraw from the tournament that is supposed to mark a return to play. So here to discuss are CNN contributor and NFL player for the New Orleans Saints, Malcolm Jenkins, and Dr. Michael Chang, professor of infectious diseases at UTHealth McGovern Medical School. Gentlemen, thank you so much. Malcolm, you first. We have seen cases reported across nearly every major sport. The NFL is planning to start on time. The NBA is planning to resume its season on July 31st. Will players want to play if this keeps up and keeps getting worse?</s>MALCOLM JENKINS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think they are concerned. As we see, you know, college players who are coming back to campus for these voluntary workouts, they are not practicing, they're not playing games, and you're starting to see outbreaks there and across other sports. I think -- I know the NFL is really watching kind of how these other sports handle it and see what they are doing. The NBA has the opportunity to isolate, you know, fully in one place where we don't have that option.</s>LEMON: Mm-hmm. Well, let's talk about that, OK, because you mentioned college, right? So, Dr. Chang, at least six colleges have reported coronavirus cases on their sports team since Friday. Louisiana State, LSU, where I attended, also quarantined dozens of football players as a precaution. Does this add another layer of complication since this, you know, it's also students, they are also students?</s>MICHAEL CHANG, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UTHEALTH'S MCGOVERN MEDICAL SCHOOL: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, universities have a responsibility to the health of their students not only as players but as, you know, members of their university community. So, you know, and I think parents trust that these universities have their children, the students, kind of in their best interests. So, you know, I think adding the complexity of college campus is another major issue that needs to be really thought carefully about.</s>LEMON: Malcolm, you were saying?</s>JENKINS: I'm saying, you know, when we have students coming back on, you know, what happens then? Because, right now, this is the off- season for football and we are having problems already. So, what happens when you add a population and you add practice and contact?</s>JENKINS: How does that work? I think we still have yet to see, you know, what those plans are.</s>LEMON: Dr. Chang, if this keeps up, the numbers keep going up, do you think leagues will have to reconsider whether it's safe to play? That goes for even college football.</s>CHANG: Yeah, absolutely. I think if cases continue to increase, you know, you really have to consider the safety of everyone involved. We have talked about before, it's not just the players and the staff, but everybody else involved in the running of the leagues and the games and the facilities. And so, you know, I think you really need to consider the safety of everyone involved and be very cautious about pushing ahead with opening up all the locations and all the games.</s>LEMON: Yeah. So, I'm just wondering if this is going, you know, set the season back or if they are actually going to be able to play it. I don't know if college footballs are going to see like the NBA and the NFL and hockey league and so on and so forth really have to end their seasons because of coronavirus. We will continue to check in. Malcolm, thank you. Dr. Chang, thank you so much, as well. I appreciate it. Who will Senator Mitch McConnell -- absolutely. Who will Senator Mitch McConnell face in November? Tough questions, considering the Democratic primary to pick his challenger is heating up fast.