The NFL is trying to figure out how to handle its pandemic-hit season as several top college players – and at least one college program – move away from the gridiron competition this year.
“We expect to have positive cases,” Sills said. “No matter how careful we try to be and how many protocols we have in place, we know that this disease remains endemic in our societies and our communities, and it is highly contagious.”
NFL kicked off a league bubble weeks ago
“This is a respiratory virus, so it will be spread by contamination virus,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in an interview with NBC Sports in May.
“The problem with virus shedding is that when I have it in my nasal pharynx, and it smears and I whip my hand against my nose – now it’s on my hand,” Fauci said. “You see, then I touch my chest or my thigh, then it’s at least a few hours on my chest or my thigh. Sweat, as such, will not transfer. But if people are in such close contact as footballers are on every play, then that is the perfect setup for distribution.
“I would think that if there’s an infected footballer on the field – a middle linebacker, an approach, whoever it is, it – as soon as they hit the next man, chances are they’ve all virus will smite about that person, ‘he said.
Unlike the NBA and NHL, the NFL and NCAA football teams do not play in controlled environments where access and travel are restricted. With players being able to travel openly to and from facilities and games, players and staff can become infected when they are not on site.
“If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year,” he added, although the season opener remains on the books for next month.
Players risk health and income risks
The pro football league on Thursday set a deadline of 4 pm ET for players to choose from the 2020 season, and of 2,880 players, 66 officially did so, the NFL confirmed to CNN. For NFL players, it means choosing health and safety above pay.
In addition to the NFL, several big-name college football players have also opted to play this year and will instead be preparing for the 2021 NFL draft. High school football players who potentially sit down lose their opportunities to develop and improve their design, which could mean losing millions of dollars if they fall into the concept.
Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, Miami defensive end Greg Rousseau and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons all announced that they would not be playing in 2020.
The University of Connecticut announced Wednesday that it would cancel all competition for its football program this coming season.
“After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consultation with student football athletes, we have decided that we will not participate in the gridiron this season,” Athletics Director David Benedict said in a statement. “The safety challenges posed by COVID-19 put our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
Although UConn is the first college program to voluntarily write off the season, it may not be the last.
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jill Martin, David Close, Wayne Sterling, Kevin Dotson, Jabari Jackson, Homero De La Fuente and Calum Trenamen have contributed to this report.
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