As the NBA, NHL, and MLB move into their season, restarting after the coronavirus suspended / delayed their 2020 campaigns, the NFL stays on time. On Saturday, the NFL reportedly sent teams an email with the official reporting dates for training camp.
Rookies must report on July 21, quarterbacks and injured players on July 23, and the rest on July 28. There are no changes to the original calendar.
That email left a large number of prominent players concerned, so on Sunday afternoon, they all voiced their reservations on Twitter to ask the league to implement the health and safety protocols that the league’s medical experts advise them. The group of players included JJ Watt, Pat Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Myles Garrett, Malcolm Jenkins and many more.
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
– Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 19, 2020
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
– Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 19, 2020
When asked to play in a pandemic, health and safety guidelines should not be used as a bargaining chip. # WeWantToPlay
– Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 19, 2020
If the NFL doesn’t do its part to keep players healthy, there’s no football in 2020. It’s that simple. #We want to play
– Myles Garrett ⚡️ (@MylesLGarrett) July 19, 2020
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 pic .twitter.com / xQcjs33zgM
– JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 19, 2020
As Watt includes in his post, players don’t know if the league plans to run daily tests, how the league will handle a positive test, and whether there will be an exclusion clause for people at high risk for the disease or with family. members who are also high risk.
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The common theme among all players’ tweets was the hashtag, #WeWantToPlay, which means they want the 2020 soccer season to happen, but they need answers before showing up at camp and putting themselves and their families at risk of a disease still very important. increase in the United States.
#wewanttoplay https://t.co/MCwW3quodm
– LANDON COLLINS (@ TheHumble_21) July 19, 2020
Playing soccer and feeling safe at work MUST NOT be mutually exclusive! Time is running out and we need answers #WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/YPboNL47Mf
– Zach Ertz (@ ZERTZ_86) July 19, 2020
Do you want to watch soccer this year? We players must stay healthy for that to happen. @NFL needs to do its part to make football safe again in 2020. #WeWantToPlay
– Todd Gurley II (@ TG3II) July 19, 2020
I am surprised that the NFL is unwilling to follow the recommendations of its own experts regarding the health and safety of players. If we want to have a FULL season this year, we need the NFL to listen to its experts! #WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/q55RpqRzPu
– Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) July 19, 2020
The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations of the experts THEY hired. We all love this game and we want to go out and compete with our brothers. The NFL needs to provide a safe work environment for us to do so. #We want to play
– Richard Sherman (@ RSherman_25) July 19, 2020
NFLPA Medical Director Thom Mayer told The Sports Junkies in late June: “You couldn’t design a sport or activity of any kind more designed to transmit this disease than NFL football.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci recommended a bubble format for the 2020 season, saying that unless players are isolated in a bubble with daily tests, it would be “very difficult to see” soccer being played in the fall.
Medical experts have voiced their concerns and concerns about running a soccer season amid a global pandemic. The NFL has also recognized those concerns, specifically Fauci’s. But with just over a week to go before everyone is required to show up at training camp, the players have voiced dissatisfaction with the league’s public over their lack of a plan to alleviate health and safety issues ranging from the hand with coronavirus.
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