Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Mask Mandate: 'I Want to See College Football'

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves appealed to football fandom while trying to convince his constituents to wear a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I want to see college football," he said Tuesday while issuing a statewide mask mandate, per Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press. "The best way for that to occur is for us all to realize is that wearing a mask, as irritating as that can be and I promise I hate it more than anyone watching, is critical."

Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports noted Mississippi is the 34th state to institute a mask mandate while trying to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for the football side of things around the Magnolia State, the SEC pushed the start date of its 2020 season to Sept. 26 and revealed it will play a 10-game conference-only schedule this campaign.

Reeves has stressed the importance of wearing a mask in the past. 

On July 20, he tweeted "I'm baffled by my friends who are so passionately anti-mask. This is so much better. No, it's not fun. Of course, there are a few people who can't safely wear masks. But as policy, wearing a mask at public gatherings is infinitely better than losing your paycheck and livelihood."