NFL stars are concerned about lack of COVID-19 plan

J.J. Watt, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson among NFL players worried about the start of the season

The first bullet point that the Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt posted on his Twitter account Sunday, “We want to play,” is a clear signal that NFL players are ready to get back onto the field. The rest of his post, though, is a stinging indictment of the NFL’s lack of action so far in implementing health and safety protocols.

With training camps set to open in less than two weeks, and with rookies and quarterbacks reporting beginning on Monday, Watt says the players still don’t know what the NFL’s plan is. There has been no agreement on how often players would be tested, what would happen if a player tested positive for COVID-19 and how that would affect the team, or if players with pre-existing health conditions would be able to opt-out.

“We still do not know if there will be daily testing, every other day testing, etc. We still do not know if there will be preseason games or not. We still do not know how a positive Covid test will be handled in regards to others in close contact (in the huddle, directly engaged with, etc.). A strong and fair opt-out clause for those at higher risk or those with family members at higher risk has still not been agreed upon,” Watt wrote.

His fellow players quickly came out to voice the same concerns. Russell Wilson, whose wife is pregnant, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Todd Gurley are just some of the players who posted on social media that if the NFL doesn’t act soon there won’t be a season in 2020.

“We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that,” Brees wrote on social media. “If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL.”

The NFL was put in an optimal position compared to other leagues in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the other leagues had to suspend or postpone their seasons, the NFL was still months away from the start of theirs. They had plenty of time to formulate a plan. But they’ve seemingly done nothing with that time, a waste of the past four months.

Instead, what the NFL has offered are small gestures that will no little to protect the players.

They want to ban the exchange of jerseys after games, when the players had already been sweating and banging into each other for 60 months. They’ve mandated that players wear masks on the sidelines; but coaches, many of them in a high-risk age group, are exempt. And they want players to wear a special face mask that Watt says would make it more difficult for them to breathe on the field.

Despite their lack of action, the league is still focused on starting the season on time. Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations, sent a memo to all 32 teams on Saturday telling them that training camps will begin as scheduled on July 28. The season is supposed to start in just 53 days.

“We want to play.” That’s the sentiment of Watt and the other players in the league. But there is a growing sentiment the NFL is in no position to allow them to do so.