Trump is attending the Texas-Tennessee football game. It could cause havoc for on-field communications
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President Donald Trump’s planned attendance at Saturday’s showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee may cause chaos by disrupting on-field communication over headsets, according to a report.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said communication over headsets between coaches and players will briefly be disrupted whenever Trump moves within Neyland Stadium.
“The one thing that you have to be aware of when the president goes to any game is that any time he enters the stadium or leaves the stadium, or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication,” Sarkisian said during a news conference Thursday, according to The Athletic.
“They cut headsets to coaches. They cut headsets to coach-to-player communication. So you have to have a plan for that if and/or when, and you get no warning. So that just gets cut out,” he added.
No logistical or scheduling changes have been made regarding the team’s arrival at the stadium, Sarkisian said.
However, fans have been encouraged to arrive at the Knoxville, Tennessee, stadium with ample time ahead of Saturday’s game due to added security measures.
“Ticketed attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive significantly earlier than they would for a typical game. Enhanced security screening will be conducted before entry by the Secret Service Police at all stadium gates,” officials said.
“Fans should expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches,” the statement added.
While game day will likely look vastly different for most fans, the main impact the teams will see is headset disruptions, according to the report.
“If he comes in the middle of the first quarter or leaves in the fourth quarter or decides he’s got to use the restroom, whatever that looks like,” Sarkisian said, “you’ve got to be prepared to have no comms for a short amount of time.”
In addition to the headsets, many teams also use hand signals to communicate. Many resort to using those signals at times when they lose headset communication, according to the report.
The 80-year-old president has attended many major sporting events during his presidency, from football games to WWE wrestling matches, to hockey games and more.
Last year, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl. He has attended several regular-season football games and college football games, and in January, he attended the College Football Playoff National Championship between Indiana and Miami in Florida.
This past summer, Trump was at Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
Over the summer, he also attended the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina and awarded Spain the trophy after their victory.
