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President Donald Trump is set to attend Saturday's football matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. While having a head of state at a game is typically a thrilling occasion, the 80-year-old president's presence could create complications on the field.
During a Thursday, September 24 press conference ahead of the game, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian noted that headset communication between coaches and players might be affected by Trump's proximity to the field, according to a report from The Athletic.
"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, 52, said. "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."
Despite the potential for confusion during the game, Sarkisian stated that the team has not made any logistical or scheduling changes regarding Texas's arrival at the stadium in relation to the president's attendance. However, fans have been encouraged to arrive early due to enhanced U.S. Secret Service screening and increased security, which will likely cause longer entry times.
"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," added Sarkisian, who previously played in front of Trump in 2019 when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama, "you've got to be prepared to have no comms for a short amount of time."
As for alternatives, hand signals are often still used in conjunction with headset communication, with teams frequently resorting to signaling whenever they lose headset communication.
Texas's game against Tennessee kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 26.
Originally reported by yahoo.