If the NFL can make a 2020 season, players will participate under a series of coronavirus-related restrictions on and off the field. That could mean playing in specially designed face masks and potential fines for off-field activities that lead to the spread of the virus.
The National Football League Players Association held a two-hour conference call Thursday with representatives of the team’s players and NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer, and the call focused on protocols that the league and the union have been arguing to allow players to participate in training camp and the regular season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Players were told that the chances of running a season around the virus would depend on the success of their testing and contact tracking program and were given details on what they could and would expect from them.
A source told ESPN that players on the call were told that they could be fined for disruptive behavior if they were found to have committed “reckless” behavior outside of the team’s facilities, such as eating at restaurants and using shared transportation. They have also been updated on the progress of the league and union medical personnel are making face shields that can be worn while playing, practicing, training and moving around the team’s facilities, though sources who were on the call said the players They are pressing against those face shields for various reasons, including concerns about how it might affect their vision and breathing.
The call started, sources told ESPN, with updates from Mayer about the virus in general. Player representatives were told, among other things, that tests can decrease transmission, but that the virus is very serious and should be taken seriously, that African American men are more susceptible to it, that it is possible to contract it from A second time, even if you’ve already had it and false-negative test results are enough of a problem that players who test positive have to test negative twice before they can return.
Players were told that portable contact trackers that would allow teams to identify people with whom an infected player had interacted had been discussed, and that if they tested positive, their families could also be tested.
There is a bigger call scheduled for Friday that is open to all players, not just reps. Sources told ESPN that there was strong rejection in Thursday’s call from players asking why they are trying to replay if the virus is such a dangerous threat. Players have also been wondering what happens to their contracts if they choose not to play for virus-related reasons (as some NBA players have already done), what happens if they feel too uncomfortable to play as the season progresses and what happens next year. salary cap as a result of loss of earnings this year.
But union officials on the call said those problems have yet to be resolved. “There are questions that the boys want answered before playing,” said a source.
Other details addressed in Thursday’s call:
• Some team meetings may be held in person, but only smaller ones. Most of the meetings will take place virtually.
• Teams will limit access to facilities to “essential” employees only, and facilities will be cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.
• Teams will be required to submit emergency response plans regarding the coronavirus, including procedures that would follow a positive test by someone in the building.
• Media access is expected to be limited. The media would be required to go through the same test protocol as the players and other staff, and the media interviews are likely to be conducted virtually rather than in person.
• Currently, the proposal is to evaluate players and team staff every other day during training camp, but player representatives in Thursday’s call said they would prefer daily testing. Availability and access to evidence is an important issue, and the league is aware of the possible negative reaction it could face if it has greater access to evidence than the general public.
• Players and coaches generally stay in hotels during training camp, but players are told to stay in their own homes and travel to team facilities this year.
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