Sean McVay finally admitted what all coaches must be thinking about NFL and coronavirus

Rams coach Sean McVay is wondering if there any way to play football safely amid the COVID-19 scare?

As authentic concerns about head injuries and CTE took hold across the NFL’s broader marketplace of ideas in the past decade, critics eventually couldn’t avoid one stern question: Is there any way to make football safe? This uncomfortable query hasn’t exactly gone away, but in these days of the novel coronavirus, a separate but related topic has emerged in parallel — and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay can’t avoid it.

It might just be that there’s not way to ensure a football player’s health and safety related to COVID-19, as social distancing on the gridiron is antithetical to the very nature of the game.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay cannot see a way to play football while also observing coronavirus prevention measures

It’s an incredibly inconvenient thought, but someone had to say it.

Imagining the fall of 2020 without football is jarring. Pro football, after all, isn’t simply the biggest spectator sport and television product North America, but a singular force in our economy. With this in mind, the NFL and its owners cannot possibly be entertaining (*gasp*) a cancelled season.

But asking every player to put their own health in danger more than they already do every Sunday as it is? That’s a truly hellish obstacle.

So, perhaps the solution is innovation?

https://twitter.com/Stadium/status/1273337366359404544?s=20

Uhhh… that ain’t it, Stadium.

McVay’s take on social distancing as it pertains to football isn’t a hot one. It ought not be considered the least bit edgy or contrarian. Unfortunately, it’s more than clear that the NFL and its players haven’t yet reckoned fully with the unique threats posed by the oncoming season.

The only path is honesty, plain and simple. And it ought to be football fans’ sincere hope that McVay’s frankness on this matter is shared by fellow decision-makers.