League to consider no preseason games
The NFL plans to consider the NFL Players Association’s recommendation to cancel the preseason though it prefers to cut the schedule in half, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.
The league decided Wednesday to cut its preseason from four games to two and push back the start of exhibition play so teams have more time to train because the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of offseason practices.
But the union’s board of player representatives voted Thursday to ask the league to cancel the entire preseason schedule.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL can impose up to four preseason games per team this season and up to three when the regular season goes to 17 games in 2021.
Steelers
It’s not quite Christmas in July, but James Conner still played Santa Claus for his mom, Kelly Bibbs. The Steelers running back surprised Bibbs with a new house, posting a video of the unveiling to Instagram. When she went inside, she saw Conner standing in the empty house. A gold balloon display reading, ‘Welcome Home’ hung at the end of a hallway. Bibbs was overwhelmed with tears.
Redskins
If Washington decides to change the name of the franchise, Dwayne Haskins is set to be the quarterback to usher in the new era for the organization. Haskins didn’t offer much regarding the name change, but he has an early front-runner for a new name.
“I like the redtails,” Haskins tweeted.
The Redtails won a design contest a few years back and appears to be the leader in the clubhouse among fans. The Redtails have an intriguing history behind the name, a tribute to the planes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first Black military aviators that served in the United States Army during World War II. Three of the first five admitted airmen were from Washington, serving as a connection to the city and the armed forces.
Elsewhere
Three more construction workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., have tested positive for COVID19. Twenty-eight workers are known to have tested positive; 10 of the cases have been announced since June 23.