Matt York / Associated Press
Top NFL stars are concerned about the safety of players amid the coronavirus pandemic with nearby teams reporting to training camps.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt They were among the players who discussed the challenges:
Patrick Mahomes II @ @PatrickMahomes
Getting ready to report this week hoping that @NFL comes to terms with safe and correct protocols so that we can feel protected playing the sport we love #WeWantToPlay
Drew Brees @ @cartoonists
We need soccer! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of its own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do its part to keep players healthy, there’s no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Do it @NFL
Russell Wilson @ @DangeRussWilson
It worries me. My wife is pregnant. The @NFL training camp is about to begin … And there is still no clear plan on player health and family safety. 🤷🏾 We want to play soccer but we also want to protect our loved ones. #We want to play
Adam Schefter @ @AdamSchefter
Feeling a trend … https://t.co/KJQqo7nKSI
JJ Watt @ @JJWatt
Once again, in the interest of keeping everyone (players and fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group prepares to report back to training camp morning. #WeWantToPlay https://t.co/xQcjs33zgM
Derek Carr @ @derekcarrqb
I want to play ball this year! But we are going to need @NFL to make sure they are listening to everyone and taking the necessary steps to make sure the players and their families are safe! #We want to play
The rookies are expected to report to camp on July 21, followed by the quarterbacks. Injured players will report on July 23 and all other players will report on July 28, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. The NFL and NFLPA are still in talks about protocols to keep team personnel safe, but there has been no official agreement.
Unlike the NBA or NHL, which is using “bubble” environments to keep players safe, the NFL plans to continue the regular trips and players returning to their own homes, putting members of the family.
Former NFLPA player and executive board member Lorenzo Alexander has asked for daily tests.
“It is more than just the player. It is the coaches, it is the main office, the medical staff, the coaches, the team staff,” Alexander said in The Pat McAfee Show, for him Buffalo News. “We have to make sure we get tested every day and go home every day. We are not in a bubble. I have to go home and my wife could be working or my children could go to school.”
Another important issue on the table is the potential for players to opt out of the season in the name of safety, a policy MLB adopted for next year.
According to Mike Florio From Pro Football Talk, the league offers an opt-out option for players before August 1, but they must remain out throughout the season. They would receive a stipend, but it works as a down payment on their 2021 salary. There is also a provision that prevents holdouts in 2021.
All of this comes with increasing COVID-19 cases in key states like Texas and Florida, according to Johns Hopkins. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 138,000 have already died from the disease in the United States.
“We have a question that sums it up: Does it make sense for the NFL to open boot camps in hot spot cities right now?” a person familiar with the NFLPA’s views said last week, according to Mark Maske, of the Washington Post.
These questions remain unanswered even with players ready to report to camp this week.
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