Cowboys RB Elliott worried about NFL virus plan
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott said his case of COVID -19 has been a mild one. But in a Twitch chat Wednesday with Youtube host Scooter Magruder, he said the NFL needs to do everything it can to protect its players and their families if it wants to have a season amid the pandemic.
“I just feel like there’s a lot of moving parts that have to be figured out,” Elliott said. “I just don’t know how they can keep the players healthy. You’ve got to put the health of the players first. And it’s not even so much I would say the players’ health because I got corona and it didn’t really affect me much. But a lot of people have kids, they may have kids with asthma, their parents or grandparents may live with them.
“We have to find a way to make sure the players and their families, and the coaches also and their families, aren’t put at risk.”
The NFL Network reported last week that Elliott had tested positive for COVID -19. On Wednesday, he said he is mostly back on his feet, though not enough to begin working out for the season.
“I would say I had maybe one or two days where I felt symptoms, and even then it wasn’t too bad,” Elliott said. “I had a cough and a little bit of shortness of breath, but now honestly I feel good; I feel normal. Still can’t work out.”
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the NFL and the players union have agreed that players will report to training camp starting July 28. However, the two sides still are negotiating how teams will operate amid a pandemic that is worsening in many states that are home to NFL teams.
The pre-season schedule likely will be shortened to two games per team, however, and on Thursday ESPN’S Adam Schefter reported that the Hall of Fame Game, the annual pre-season opener in Canton, Ohio, has been cancelled. Plus, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s enshrinement ceremonies, which take place that same weekend in August, have been postponed.
The Cowboys and Steelers were scheduled to play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 and, because of that, were expected to report to training camp before other teams. They will now square off in the 2021 game, Schefter said, and report at the same time as other teams.
Several NFL coaches have expressed concern about social-distancing guidelines likely to be in place for training camps. Elliott seems to think they might be in order. “I do hope we have a season,” Elliott said. “But it has to be right.” The Washington Post