Vanderbilt AD Candice Storey Lee issues statement after game against Georgia was postponed
By Jake Rill
Published:
Saturday’s Vanderbilt-Georgia game has been postponed to Dec. 19 due to COVID-19 issues within the Commodores’ program. Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity has since voiced his frustration that the contest is no longer taking place.
However, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee later issued a statement on Twitter, expressing that she believes the right decision was made.
“I’m as competitive as anyone and we were all looking forward to getting back on the field to face Georgia,” Lee tweeted. “We will never compromise the health and safety of our student-athletes. We are already preparing for Tennessee and look forward to wrapping up the regular season at Georgia.”
It was the second time this season that Vandy has had a game postponed. The Commodores’ matchup at Missouri on Oct. 17 was pushed back to last Saturday (when the Tigers won, 41-0).
Georgia also has had one previous postponement, as its Nov. 14 game at Missouri was pushed back to Dec. 12.
If Georgia ends up finishing in first in the SEC East, then its game against Vanderbilt won’t end up happening, as the SEC Championship Game is also scheduled for Dec. 19.
Vandy isn’t the only SEC team this season that has been affected by positive COVID-19 tests and contact-tracing protocols, as several other programs have been in similar situations. The SEC has advised teams to have at least 53 active players for games, but the Commodores were in danger of dropping below that number due to COVID-19 testing, injuries and opt-outs.
Vanderbilt will return to action on Dec. 12 against Tennessee, a game that was originally supposed to take place last week.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
