Head football coach Ed Orgeron announced during a press conference on Sept. 15 that “most” of his players have already caught the coronavirus. LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward later characterized the statement as being “a bit too transparent.”
Was he right? Is there really such thing as being “too transparent”?

“There are two disagreements I have with this statement: first of all, there can never be too much transparency from the administration; and second of all, the administration has given us very little information, so the notion of supposedly excessive transparency does not apply here at all. I hope we see much more information coming from the administration, including details on how the coronavirus is circulating in athletics. Students and faculty deserve to know as much as possible.”

Claire Sullivan | @sulliclaire

“With recent allegations of inadequate case reporting on campus, our administration should take a lesson from Coach O. There is no such thing as ‘too transparent’ when you’re responsible for handling the actual lives of students who pay to live, work and learn healthily on your campus.”

Gabrielle Martinez | @martinez_g0

“Our culture has become rightfully weary of powerful people keeping secrets; however, I am sure most would agree there are certain circumstances in which an administration’s lack of transparency would be in everyone’s best interest. Issues that involve security and personal privacy obviously come to mind. That said, I am not sure whether Coach O’s statements warrant that accusation. In this instance, there should be a balance between protecting student privacy and ensuring the safety of our wider community. I think Coach O. public acknowledging the situation without giving specifics has done a decent job at striking this balance.”

Evan Leonhard |@evan_leonhard

“The idea that an administration could be ‘too transparent’ implies that our institutions harbor knowledge which we — their constituency — would take issue with. Our institutions could avoid potential conflict or backlash by simply embracing transparency. This rings especially true considering people’s lives are potentially on the line due to COVID-19 concerns.” 

Kevin Doucette | @kgdouce

“I think the administration should be more transparent. Their students rely on their information to be concise and honest. Coach O should be transparent. I do not think there is any such thing as being ‘too transparent’ when it comes to a pandemic. Transparency and honesty go hand in hand. If there is a lack of transparency, there is a lack of honesty.”

Tamia Southall | @tamiabrem_

“Although I believe that any administration should work directly for the people, too much public input can derail legislation and progress. Administration becomes crippled with inaction when trying to appeal to too many contradictory voices, so although they should be transparent about their goals, functioning, motives and policies, not every piece of internal information needs to be public knowledge.”

Cecile Girard | @_cegi_

“I think it’s ridiculous for administrations to disclose their football team COVID-19 numbers. Testing positive for COVID-19 doesn’t necessarily mean a player is debilitatingly sick — they could be asymptomatic or only experiencing mild symptoms — there’s really no ‘tactical advantage’ for hiding or obscuring results. It is, however, unethical. While the players do deserve the same privacy that other students are given, it’s not fair to other teams deciding whether or not to go ahead with their football season and potentially endanger all of their players, coaches and necessary staff.” 

Marie Plunkett | @MarieC_214

“Transparency is important, especially when lives are on the line. During a pandemic, I don’t think there is a point of transparency to a fault. If information like the amount of players who are infected with COVID-19 is not released in a transparent manner, it is actively harming all parties involved. It is better to deal with the public reaction to your transparency than the severe health consequences of not disclosing such information. Be honest and be proactive.”

Domenic Purdy | @tigerdom16

“To keep it short and sweet, I don’t think anybody can be ‘too transparent.’ Being open and clear on where you stand leaves no room for confusion or interpretation. I think transparency is good thing and something we should all try.”

Elizabeth Crochet | @elizabethcro_