Andy Reid was an unsung hero in NFL safety negotiations

Andy Reids leads communication on how to social distance during training camp.

Leave it to Super Bowl LIV winning head coach Andy Reid to create a clever way to install COVID-19 safety precautions during training camp.

Reid has been at the center for devising plans to distance players while they participate in training camp. In addition to testing players multiple times in the early stages, the Kansas City Chiefs will be conducting training camp in their own stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, rather than a practice facility per the norm. The stadium is split in half for offense and defense, and will now feature monitors and media-specific rooms to provide safety for both the team and media members.

“One unsung hero in negotiations: Super Bowl winning #Chiefs coach Andy Reid,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Friday. “He was helpful in walking through the union what training camp could look like, I’m told. And then Commissioner Roger Goodell had him speak on the owners call, as well.”

Andy Reid helped move forward safety negotiations between owners and players

Reid sharing the minutiae of the Chiefs training camp plan on a phone call with NFL owners has given the league as a whole a spark. The NFL has a model they can recommend to other teams to encourage a safe practicing plan at training camp. This was something the NFL lacked beforehand with players like Seahawks’ Quandre Diggs and Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence expressing they had second thoughts about attending camp with the NFL lacking a safe plan.

The NFL is cutting out all preseason games as players have been vocal about limiting the risk during this pandemic. Cutting out games that do not count towards teams’ 2020 success could be another step in getting players to feel somewhat optimistic about the NFL’s care for its players.

The league, in collaboration with Oakley, has recently developed fully-protective-face-shielded helmets — helmets the league is recommending, not requiring, players to wear to potentially provide its players protection against the spread of COVID-19. With efforts from the likes of Reid and league higher-ups, at least players can see the NFL is dedicated to safety moving forward.