Today, I’m signing an executive order to govern how college football stadiums operate this fall. Some states have opted not to make any effort to play. I believe we have to try. We can’t just abandon athletes and culture.

First, and probably most importantly, seating capacity in the bowl will be limited to a maximum of 25%—if schools can ensure a minimum of six feet of social distancing between people who are not in the same household.

Masks will be required whenever you’re walking around, entering or exiting...basically at all times unless you’re sitting in your seat away from everyone else.

I know this will not be popular, but there will be no game day social gatherings around stadiums: rallies, parties, tailgates. It’s no fun, but it’s what allows the athletes to play. I’d still rather be in the SEC with no tailgates, than the PAC-12 or Big 10 with no football.

There are lots of other measures (elevator limits, suite rules, entry/exit guidances, etc.) We worked directly with schools, and they had a lot of valuable insight.

We are in the middle of a pandemic, and we have to make sacrifices that are painful. We also have to try to provide a safe environment for life as we know it in some capacity. There are many people whose lives are changed because of sports—they’d never get an education otherwise.

We have to balance everything. Narratives are comforting, and balance is hard. Sometimes the hard thing is the right thing. The best path forward is to try and protect both lives and livelihoods. Please stay in the fight, Mississippi. We can beat this thing.