Here's what Candice Lee said in her Tuesday, Oct. 20 press conference with media.

Adam Sparks: Hey, Candice, we saw some in the news last week about the PCR test--the the "quick" test--just to show if there was a false positive. We saw that I think Nick Saban, but I think it's around the league. Are you guys using--or Have y'all used yet--hose quick COVID test for someone that tests positive to see if there's a false positive?

Candice Lee: Are you referring to the rapid antigen test?

Adam Sparks: Yes, I'm sorry, the "rapid" [test].

Candice Lee: Okay. No, I just wanted to make sure I understood what you're asking. So, so all of us around the league do have access to the rapid antigen [test]. Originally, we were going to use it, like for football on Fridays. So that way, you could have an idea, or so you could have at least some confidence that people either traveling for competition or going into a home competition where we're negative. I think there were some concerns. And I think even we had some concerns about the false positivity rate.

We still use the rapid antigen. But that's only--like, we would use it if we were on the road and someone was symptomatic. And we would we would administer that rapid antigen. And then if it was positive, we would know that we immediately need to isolate that person.

But other than that, we're using three PCR--like the normal, if you will, PCR--throughout the week. I think you were asking about confirming positives, we are confirming positives. So the rule that the medical task force within the conference came up with, we are doing that we're not using rapid antigen to do it, though. We're just doing the typical PCR.

Adam Sparks: Okay, so if I'm a player and I test positive on Thursday, which is that last scheduled test during the week?

Candice Lee: Mm-hmmm.

Adam Sparks: Would I then taking another test Friday, and then another Saturday, or how does that work?

Candice Lee: Yes. So 24 hours later. So if you tested positive on Thursday, you would take a test on Friday. If that was positive, then you're confirmed, you're considered a confirmed positive.

If that was negative, you would remain in isolation.

But then you would take 24 hours later, another [positive] test? You would do that two more times.

So if you had three negatives in a row, it's then considered a false positive. So then you would you could then leave isolation, and then any close contacts that were in in quarantine because of that they would also be released.

Robbie Weinstein: I guess, based on the pattern of Derek [Mason's] extension, seems like you would be up for one this coming off season. So I guess, how do you evaluate his contract that it's in general, considering the financial situation right now? And weighing that versus performance?

Candice Lee: Yeah, good question. You know, when I think about evaluation of our coaches, I think that's ongoing. So I would say that COVID certainly lends--I think it gives everyone pause in terms of how we do some of the operational things, but it doesn't impact the evaluation process.

So I don'--I think you reference like the pattern of extensions--I haven't really thought about that, per se, in terms of what that timing is, but I've just been thinking and working with coach about kind of the the expectation is that the product on the field is something that that we're proud of, and that we're putting ourselves in position to compete and win all the time.

So that that evaluation process is ongoing. I think coach Mason would say the same thing.

Joe Rexrode: I'll jump in a follow up is Candace. How does the year like this? How does it or doesn't it maybe complicate such an evaluation?

Candice Lee: I don't I think that I don't know if I would say complicate. You know, I think that when you're thinking about how you assess coaches, there are multiple factors that you look at.

I think COVID is certainly another lens, but I don't know that I would say complicated. It's just another thing to take into consideration as we figure out how to move forward.

At this point. I'm just trying to you know, I feel like my job is to make sure that our coaches have everything that they need to do their jobs. And and that's what I'm focused on for coach Mason and all of our coaches.

Teresa Walker: Candice, when it comes to all the tracing and roster numbers and trying to decide--particularly last week--not [being] able to play the Missouri game. What is that process? Does that involve your office? Is it? The medical groups? What what goes into making the decision [if] okay, we're not going to have 53 to play? And what what is the timeline to decide that before a game on a game week?

Candice Lee: Well, I think it really varies, because it depends on--like, so when you think about our testing regimen, and football, we test on Sundays on Tuesdays and on Thursdays-- [we] sort of joke as an AD group, that you're sort of holding your breath test to test because you just don't know how your numbers are going to be impacted. So it's hard to say that there's a particular day.

I think as soon as we feel like, we're either getting very close to that threshold, or it appears that we're going to go under that threshold, we've been in communication with the SEC office, and that dialogue just remains open and constant.

And that's how you have to be, because this is literally the day to day. The the SEC has set the threshold. If you fall under the threshold, you still have the opportunity to compete, if you feel that you can

So we're looking at numbers, but we're also looking at availability within these different position groups. You know, at the end of the day, I think we've all said that if it's possible to compete, then we're going to try to do that, you know, that's the that's the purpose for the threshold. Right.

And once we saw that we were clearly falling under it after South Carolina. So when we played that Saturday, and then we had the Sunday tests, the Sunday schedule test, once it was clear that we were falling falling below that we immediately communicated with the conference office.

So, it could be as early as on Monday, it could be as late as a Thursday or Friday. You know, I mean, when you think about it, we're also testing outside of those set test days, it's also if a student athlete or a staff member is symptomatic on any day, then you're also going to test at that moment, too. And that could affect your availability.

So it is truly day to day. And that's one of the things that makes this so challenging.

Chris Lee: Malcolm Turner had $800 million $1 millio nas the minimum figure he thought he needed to fix athletics. And then people have told me that was a billion. What do you think that number is to do all the things that you guys need to do to be competitive?

Candice Lee: It's a good question, Chris. Eight-hundred million is not a number that I ever heard, so I can't comment on that.

Last year, we started working with Perkins and Will and they helped us. So this and this is important for me, as I think through when we think about a master facility plan, that's like an ongoing thing.

And it's it's split into phases. So far, we've just sort of talked about what Phase One looks like. I would guess,

Chris, if you think about all of the things that we need to do, it may be that 800 million is not a far fetched number, I just can't comment on it. Because that's not a number that we we have arrived to, not in any of the conversations I was in. So I'm not sure that I can comment.

It's a lot when we think if you were going to do everything at once, it'd be it'd be a lot. Yeah, it would be a lot. I mean, I would say that for a first phase, 800 million would not be your starting number.

But maybe if you combine multiple phases, perhaps you get there so so I can understand where that may have come from?

Chris Lee: Do you know where you might start? What sport? What sports? What facilities? Any idea of what's Phase One?

Candice Lee: I want to say one thing: We're working very hard behind the scenes to kind of tee up, what, like, the ability to publicly talk about Phase One. And, and, and, and I want to say that because I think that's important that I know that everyone's ready for action, nobody more than me. But we're working behind the scenes to tee everything up so that when we're ready to prep to go, we're actually ready to go. And chancellor Diermeier has been a great partner, as have many people on campus. So I'm excited about that.

In terms of your question, Chris, about what would we look at first, I think it's clear that from an infrastructure standpoint, we need to invest in football and basketball. And, and, and that I'm careful about the messaging there because we of course, support all of our sports, right?

But as we think about this first phase, if you think about McGugin. So for those of you who have been in McGugin, you know that football takes up kind of a path. The building is like the football wing. If we can get football out of this building in in a different space that's going to allow us to service--I mean, truthfully service--all of our sports in a greater way.

If we think about basketball--you know, we don't currently have to like share our gym with gymnastics or volleyball like some institutions do--but we have one practice gym. And as you all know, we have, obviously, one main court. To have the ability to have two practice courts, so that men's and women's basketball could practice at the same time if they wanted, those are things like those are real, tangible things.

And I think if we can get to that, those would be things that I think we would contemplate or are contemplating. And Phase One, I think if we can get to that, it--again--allows us long term to service everyone.

And ultimately, that's our goal. Basketball and football are a means to an end, right. From a credibility standpoint, from a visibility standpoint, from a revenue standpoint, it allows us though, to help everyone

Adam Sparks: Yeah, Candace, I know safety and health are your main priority here. I'm just curious. With all the testing, you guys have to do? Does that put any kind of financial burden on athletics paying for all the COVID testing? Or is that something that's more under the financial purview of the university?

Candice Lee: Well, it's, it's shared, because ultimately, I guess you could say, just going to ultimately come out of the same pot.

But so we have testing that happens through the third party vendor, through the SEC, right? And that's for all of our all of our high-risk sports, and all of our sports that are in season, they're going through that vendor.

And then the university also has made the commitment to test all undergraduate student-athletes regularly. So our students are sports that are currently out of season, they're going through that process.

And so just depending on where we are with the sport season, we're sort of changing those numbers around.

So basketball has gone from being in the university-wide testing protocol, to the SEC testing protocol, because now they are in there playing and practice season. And they're also high risk.

But just as an example, we're sort of using both. So at the end of the day, financially, it's, it's sort of coming out of both pots.

Robbie Weinstein: I guess now that we have a better idea of what the revenue will look like from the football season, is there like an update on the timeline for the football locker project?

Candice Lee: Yeah, I'm glad you asked about that. In February, when I first got in the interim position, we were working on the football locker room, or we have just started that project. And then few weeks later, because of COVID, we sort of pushed "pause" just because we pushed "pause" as a university on all of our capital projects.

So it's been exciting, because there's only so much you could do when you were working remotely. But in the last few weeks, we picked that project back up. And so now we're finalizing the design for that locker room.

Right now, I think our projected timeline is we would love to have it done before spring ball. You know, if everything moves as it should, that would be that would be great. That would be great. If not, then it certainly would be done by the summer.

I actually got a sneak peek of the locker and it's a it's amazing. It's amazing. I'm I'm so excited because these kids deserve that. They deserve it.

And, and it also feels good to be able to tell all the donors and the people who have supported this project that like if this is a tangible thing, and we're ready to press "go" on that. So I'm excited about it.

So that that's kind of our timeline, Robbie. We will be able to actually do construction once the season ends. So you know, that will be in December, but it's roughly going to be a four-month project.