Lamar Jackson continues to lead by example off the field

Lamar Jackson has canceled his “Funday with LJ” event due to coronavirus concerns.

As a South Florida native, reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson was probably looking forward to his upcoming “Funday with LJ” event in Pompano Beach, Florida. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus concerns in one of the nation’s hotspots for the virus, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback has decided to cancel the annual event entirely.

The news, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, is due to city limits on the number of people who would be able to attend thanks to the social-distancing guidelines in place in Pompano Beach. Jackson decided to cancel the event altogether rather than have to refuse entry to anyone.

On Tuesday, Florida set a daily record for positivity rate, with 7,300 new COVID-19 cases. The event was scheduled to begin exactly one week after the state had reported a new single-day record of 11,458 cases.

The two-day event had tons of fun activities planned, including flag-football games, water slides and go-karts, but cancelling is clearly the safer move. While some safety measures were in place — all adults were required to wear a face mask, children had to sign a waiver to participate — this was a pretty risky event to hold given the state of the pandemic in Florida right now.

Broward County, where the event was supposed to be held, is still in Phase I of Florida’s reopening plan, which means “Funday with LJ” would’ve been in violation of of public safety requirements, including social gatherings of more than 10 people not being permitted.

We could all use a pick-me-up during these difficult times, but not at the cost of safety with COVID-19 continuing to ravage the United States. Hopefully by 2021, Lamar Jackson’s annual event will be able to return, but in the meantime, it’s encouraging to see the Ravens QB making tough but wise decisions off the field.