NFL’s top doctor admits uncertainty in face of pandemic
Days after the NFL revealed its hopes of conducting a normal regular season and playoffs, its chief medical officer warns that nothing is a certainty during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Allen Sills, a neurosurgeon who has been with the NFL since 2017, says he and other league and team medical personnel have been in constant communication with health officials throughout the country, looking at the same data they are using to make public recommendations. The NFL also has consulted with the other major sports leagues and the players' union.
“We are not doing this in isolation,” Sills says. “I think the NFL is in the same place every element of society is. The hope is that soon much more widespread testing is available, which will be an essential part of restarting activities. You follow the science.”
The NFL has done that in its revisions to the draft in three weeks, which will be conducted remotely with no public events. It also has temporarily barred teams from using their facilities, meeting in person with free agents and draft prospects.
Beyond the draft, the league must decide on allowing offseason workouts and minicamps that usually occur in the spring. And then on conducting training camps and the preseason.
None of that is assured. “We have got to get a much better handle on the actual spread of this virus and how many new cases there are,” Sills explains. “How it is transmitted and how we can mitigate it. We have to get to the point that when someone is tested as positive to the virus, that does not mean an immediate quarantine. If that is the case, you can't think about opening up a team sport.”
COMPETITION IN CHICAGO
The Chicago Bears declared the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles an open one on Friday.
General manager Ryan Pace made that clear during a conference call, saying both players are “embracing” the battle that will play out whenever offseason workouts begin.
Coach Matt Nagy stressed that Trubisky will be the first quarterback on the field whenever practices begin, But he planned to give Trubisky and Foles equal time with the starters. He also said both will play in the preseason as part of the evaluation.
Pace said after the season the Bears remained committed to Trubisky as their starter, though they weren't ruling out bringing in a veteran to push him. They did just that when they acquired Foles from Jacksonville last month.
On Friday, the Bears indicated he's more than an insurance policy if Trubisky struggles or gets injured.
K.C., WATKINS REDO DEAL
The Chiefs and wide receiver Sammy Watkins have agreed on a restructured oneyear contract that gives the franchise much-needed salary cap relief, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Chiefs do not disclose contract details, said Watkins will make $9 million in base salary but that incentives could drive the total package to $16 million. More important for the club, the deal will give the Chiefs about $5 million in salary cap savings ahead of the NFL draft.
Yahoo Sports was first to report the agreement between the Chiefs and Watkins.