P-Nut football start gets pushed back to October

by TERRAN S. YOUNG • STAFF WRITER

BIG STONE GAP — Council is sufficiently uneasy about starting the P-Nut football season that it informally suggested postponing the start by a month.

During the Tuesday night council workshop, Union P-Nut football commissioner Roger Mullins submitted a proposal to council to start P-Nut football as early as the first week of September. The proposal included an evaluation of the first two weeks of school as a gauge to see if it would be safe for the season to begin.

If there was no COVID-19 spread, Mullins proposed, the P-Nut football draft would take place Sept. 5, with the first game set for Sept. 21.
Mullins’ proposal also included several safety measures. Temperatures will be taken during games and practices. Anyone experiencing shortness of breath, cough, fever above 100.4, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, difficulty breathing, chills or muscle pain will be asked to return home. Also, anyone experiencing symptoms will be reported to the league administration and the player’s team will be monitored.

Coaches, parents, cheerleaders, players and spectators will be asked to sign a COVID-19 waver releasing the town of any liability if someone contracts the virus.

Other safety measures include social distancing on the bleachers and use of hand sanitizer for spectators entering the park. There is no sharing of water bottles. Each team will use a different football. Teams will congratulate each other verbally and not shake hands.

While council applauded Mullins for the thought and consideration that he put into the proposal, members worried that it is not a good time to start the season.

Mayor Gary Johnson stated that Mullins had gone above and beyond what was expected, but he was still concerned for the safety of the children and the community.

“Football is definitely a contact sport,” said Johnson. “I do believe you would do everything in your power to protect them, but I do wish you would consider postponing the season until Union High School starts theirs.”

Council member Bobby Bloomer stated that he agreed with Johnson. “If one person is asymptomatic, they will all get it on the field,” he said, adding that he thinks masks should be required for spectators.

Vice Mayor Nancy Bailey also expressed concern, stating that with infection numbers increasing in the area, she was unsure if school was going to start.

Council members Aaron McKinney and Crystal Lyke were in agreement. “I don’t know the difference between shaking hands at the end of the game and tackling someone,” said McKinney.

Mullins stated that he would entertain pushing the season back to the end of September or October and is willing to amend the proposal to include any extra safety precautions that council might add.

Town Manager Stephen Lawson suggested that Mullins come back for the Oct. 6 workshop to discuss starting the season at that time. Mullins agreed.