NFLPA advises players not to work out together due to coronavirus

Exclusive: Dr. Anthony Fauci says it is too soon to say COVID-19 could cancel NFL season



Dr. Anthony Fauci says the viability of college and NFL football this fall is “impossible to call” at the moment, and told SportsIllustrated.com’s ‘Jets Country’ that the status of the Covid-19 pandemic at the time of decision will be the determining factor.

Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has been the face of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. His recent comments to CNN, which he says were taken out of context, triggered a wave of fear that the NFL season and college football might be shelved this fall.

“The situation this fall will be dictated by the dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States,” Dr. Fauci said in an exclusive interview with ‘Jets Country.’

“Optimally you would want to see the level of infection dramatically decreased and good control of any evidence of resurgence. Again, the officials of the league in consultation with the players will make their own decisions.”

During an appearance on CNN last week, Fauci said of the NFL season that “it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall” if players weren’t quarantined or put in a bubble.”

Fauci told ‘Jets Country’ that he wasn’t attempting to convey anything specific about the fate of the upcoming NFL season.

“My statements about the NFL season have been misinterpreted and taken out of context,” Fauci said. “I was asked by officials from the NFL about risks associated with various scenarios that the NFL might face in consideration of the upcoming season. I provided advice from a public health standpoint. The ultimate decision is not mine but that of the officials of the NFL and the players themselves.”

The battle with how to re-open sports has been a heated debate with no clear-cut answers. The NBA and MLS, for instance, are pursuing the aforementioned bubble where the regular season will resume in Orlando and players will be kept in isolation. Baseball will have a shortened season but it is unclear how that will play out or if fans will be allowed into stadiums.

Both the NFL and college sports are able to punt on a decision for a few more weeks until their respective seasons come more clearly into focus.

Dr. Fauci reiterated that he is not the ultimate arbitrator on whether leagues can or should open up. Saying “I merely provide advice based on data and science. I certainly do not make the call on whether a league can or cannot return” he points to the data as being the ultimate source for these decisions.

As of June 22, there are 2,275,645 reported cases of the coronavirus with 119,923 reported deaths. Several states are seeing a spike in cases in recent days.

There aren’t necessarily benchmarks that need to be hit, however, for Dr. Fauci to feel comfortable in saying that a dip in the numbers or a flattening of the curve could result in fall football.

The NFL will take the government to court and win before they have to cancel the season. The shutdowns started in March. If you can't play sports in September then when can you? This could be here in 2021 too without a vaccine.

The only real question is if fans are in the stands or not.

To me I think they'll cancel/be forced to cancel due to a combination of logistics and shaming. Here are some problems that I don't think they'll satisfactorily resolve, hence the cancellation:

1) Outbreak of the virus within a team or among two teams (110 players plus staff) and unreasonable/unworkable solutions to address the outbreak (e.g. if a center contracts the virus are you going to quarantine the entire line, assuming he'd worked out with them the most?)
2) City logistics vis-a-vis local attitudes toward social distancing and mass gatherings (two football teams even without fans can be considered a gathering too big for some)
3) Points 2 and 3 will be exacerbated in the event of a spike in cases, whether that spike is real or imagined by media outlets.
4) If a spike happens, public pressure will force the league to abort the season. Holding someone as close as possible while falling with them to the ground, while breathing on them, is the exact opposite of public health guidance. They will be shamed for not adhering to that guidance in the event of a spike.
5) Some high-profile players will object to playing out of fear for their own wellbeing or the wellbeing of family members.
6) If some players object and there is loud criticism of the league for marching forward, Twitter SJWs will excoriate the league for being racist.

The players already play a dangerous game.

I think "no fans" will be enough. Things never got catastrophically bad in the spring. I doubt they do in the fall either.

Physical injuries is different than extending a pandemic. When Trubinsky blows out his knee throwing an incomplete pass his elderly dad or grandfather doesn't alse become at-risk for blowing out thier knees too. I wasn't following the no fans thing you said or the part about spring or fall. I don't think the no fans thing will be a big hurdle to playing this year.

Without drunk fans it won’t be the same. Need the drunk fans.

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

Without drunk fans it won’t be the same. Need the drunk fans.

To me I think they'll cancel/be forced to cancel due to a combination of logistics and shaming. Here are some problems that I don't think they'll satisfactorily resolve, hence the cancellation:

1) Outbreak of the virus within a team or among two teams (110 players plus staff) and unreasonable/unworkable solutions to address the outbreak (e.g. if a center contracts the virus are you going to quarantine the entire line, assuming he'd worked out with them the most?)
2) City logistics vis-a-vis local attitudes toward social distancing and mass gatherings (two football teams even without fans can be considered a gathering too big for some)
3) Points 2 and 3 will be exacerbated in the event of a spike in cases, whether that spike is real or imagined by media outlets.
4) If a spike happens, public pressure will force the league to abort the season. Holding someone as close as possible while falling with them to the ground, while breathing on them, is the exact opposite of public health guidance. They will be shamed for not adhering to that guidance in the event of a spike.
5) Some high-profile players will object to playing out of fear for their own wellbeing or the wellbeing of family members.
6) If some players object and there is loud criticism of the league for marching forward, Twitter SJWs will excoriate the league for being racist.

We lose a lot of rights when we look the other way when it doesn't affect our lives or it isn't a cause we agree with.

At this point I'd be more surprised if there is a season than if there isn't.

1. Irrelevant. Waivers will be signed and players will play if they have no symptoms. All 32 teams will conceal positive tests for important players. Nfl will let them.
2. Irrelevant. If a city is actually stupid enough to do this the team will play elsewhere, but no city is stupid enough to do this so it’s a moot point.
3. No
4. Lol @ you thinking the nfl gives a single solitary fuck about “public pressure”
5. This seems very unlikely. Where are these high profile players you speak of? Cuz all of them want to play and are all currently breaking rules and protocols just to practice together
6. see point 5. This is just a bad point on your part. Nfl players, almost to a man out of the 1500+, all very much want to play


You good now? We’re having football this year.

1. Yes I did address it. Read again.
2. Goodell wasn’t responding to public pressure. Goodell ignored public pressure for years. That video was responding to the players, not the public.
3. Lol again. When will you and others realize that nobody gives a fuck about the Twitter sjw crowd? They hold no power. You can’t shame someone unless they think what they are doing is shameful. It is fucking astounding how many people don’t seem to grasp this simple concept.

You good now? We’re having NFL football this year.

We lose a lot of rights when we look the other way when it doesn't affect our lives or it isn't a cause we agree with.

A full 16 game schedule? I'm willing to take your bet for $100.

Franky T's net worth just increased by a benjamin.

I won’t bet on a 16 game schedule cuz I’m not ruling out shenanigans reducing it to some weird 12 or 14 game schedule.

I’ll put $100 on a “season” being played with playoffs being played a Super Bowl champ being crowned at the end of it.

We lose a lot of rights when we look the other way when it doesn't affect our lives or it isn't a cause we agree with.