Several players send tweet storm at NFL with concerns over safety of training camp
As the NBA, NHL and MLB progress toward their season restarts after coronavirus suspended/delayed their 2020 campaigns, the NFL remains on schedule. On Saturday, the NFL reportedly sent teams an email containing official reporting dates for training camp.
Rookies are to report on July 21, quarterbacks and injured players on July 23 and remainder on July 28. No changes to the original schedule.
That email left a large number of prominent players concerned, so on Sunday afternoon, they all voiced their reservations on Twitter to call for the league to implement the health and safety protocols the league’s medical experts are advising them toward. The group of players included, JJ Watt, Pat Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Myles Garrett, Malcolm Jenkins and many more.
I am concerned.
My wife is pregnant.@NFL Training camp is about to start..And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. 🤷🏾
We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones. #WeWantToPlay
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 19, 2020
Getting ready to report this week hoping the @NFL will come to agreement with the safe and right protocols so we can feel protected playing the sport we love #WeWantToPlay
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 19, 2020
If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. #WeWantToPlay
— Myles Garrett ⚡️ (@MylesLGarrett) July 19, 2020
Once again in the interest of keeping everyone (players & fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group gets set to report to training camp tomorrow.#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 conduct daily testing, how the league will handle a positive test and whether there will be an opt-out clause for at high-risk for the disease or with family members who are high-risk as well.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
The common theme among every player’s tweets was the hashtag, #WeWantToPlay, signifying that they want the 2020 football season to happen, but they need answers before they report to camp and put themselves and family members at risk for a disease still very much on the rise in the United States.
You want to watch football this year? Us players need to remain healthy in order to make that happen. The @NFL needs to do their part in order to bring football back safely in 2020. #WeWantToPlay
— Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) July 19, 2020
It blows my mind that the NFL is unwilling to follow the recommendations of their own experts regarding player health and safety. If we want to have a FULL season this year we need the NFL to listen to their experts! #WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/q55RpqRzPu
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) July 19, 2020
The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations from the experts that THEY hired. We all love this game and want to go out and compete with our brothers. The NFL needs to provide a safe work environment for us to do that. #WeWantToPlay
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) July 19, 2020
The NFLPA’s medical director Thom Mayer told The Sports Junkies in late June, “You couldn’t design a sport or activity of any type more designed to transmit this disease more than NFL football.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci recommended a bubble format for the 2020 season, saying that unless players are insulated in a bubble with daily testing, it would be, “very hard to see” football being played in the fall.
Medical experts have offered their thoughts and concerns over executing a football season in the middle of a global pandemic. The NFL has acknowledged those concerns too, specifically Fauci’s. But with just over a week before everyone is required to report to training camp, players have made their displeasure with the league public over its lack of plan to alleviate the health and safety issues that go hand-in-hand with coronavirus.
Stay connected with the MyTeams app. Click here to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.
MORE TEAM NEWS
Several players send tweet storm at NFL with concerns over safety of training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
