As the scheduled start of NFL training camps nears, the NFL Players Association has instructed player agents to talk to all their clients about risk factors that could make them more susceptible to serious illnesses as a result of coronavirus.
In a letter sent to officers Monday, which was obtained by ESPN, the NFLPA wrote: “The NFLPA is directing you to provide each of your clients with important information on risk factors provided by the Centers for Disease Control below, and by mid-July, you should engage each of your clients in a conversation about the vital importance of carefully reviewing this information with your personal physician. They should ask their personal physicians each and every question they have about these risk factors in light of your personal medical history and work as an NFL player. They should also discuss any risk factors with their team doctor. “
The letter provides a link to the CDC page that discusses “people of any age with underlying medical conditions” and also details what conditions put an individual at increased risk for serious illness from COVID-19.
They include, according to the letter:
1. chronic kidney disease
2. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
3. Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) of solid organ transplant
4. BMI of 30 or more: obesity
5. Serious heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary heart disease, or cardiomyopathies.
6. Sickle cell disease
7. Type 2 diabetes mellitus
The letter includes a second list of conditions that the CDC has determined “may” put someone at increased risk for serious illness due to COVID-19, including asthma, hypertension or high blood pressure, other immune deficiencies, liver disease, pulmonary fibrosis. and type 1 diabetes, among others.
“We want each player to be fully informed about their personal medical situation while making decisions about returning to play in the league and throughout the course of the season,” the letter says. “Proactive engagement in this way will help players achieve that goal.”
Under the new collective bargaining agreement between players and the league, training camps can start no earlier than 47 days before a team’s first regular-season game, making July 28 the date for most of the teams. The NFL said last week that it still plans to open the camps and regular season on time, although the coronavirus health and safety protocols have not yet been finalized. The NFL and NFLPA have been in regular discussions about those protocols and other issues, such as what would happen to players who decided it was too risky to play and what could happen to the 2021 salary cap as a result of lost revenue in 2020.
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