49ers ponder return to field
Coronavirus on minds of both players, families
NFL players have concerns about the prospect of reporting for work this summer during the coronavirus pandemic.
So do their family members.
On Wednesday, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert acknowledged his wife, Devon, has become emotional when discussing the safety of her husband and his teammates.
“My wife has been concerned,” Mostert said. “She’s actually cried a couple of times because she wants to make sure not only myself but those 90 guys that are in the locker room are going to all be safe. And their families as well. So we’ve had talks about it. She understands that, no matter what, this is my job. And I have to do what what my job requires me to do, which is all fair.”
Mostert and his wife, who are expecting their second child in October, have been sheltered in place with their 11monthold son, Gunnar, in Cleveland this offseason.
However, with safety re
strictions loosening in all 50 states, it increasingly appears the 49ers could report for training camp in Santa Clara in late July, as scheduled. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that pro sports could return to California “in that first week or so of June without spectators and modifications and very prescriptive conditions” if trends related to the spread of the coronavirus continue.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk termed Newsom’s statement “a good step in the right direction.” Juszczyk was optimistic the NFL would take the necessary precautions to keep players, coaches and other team employees safe.
“That’s kind of outside of my realm — I don’t know exactly what that’s going to take for all us to be safe in this environment right now,” Juszczyk said. “But I’m sure there’s some much more intelligent people than me that will know what it will take to, as a team, be on the field, interact with one another,” but with some adaptations.
Mostert was one of the first athletes to raise concerns about being exposed to the coronavirus and spreading it. On March 4, Mostert announced he wouldn’t travel to the Bay Area for an autograph show because of the local outbreak. He noted he wanted to protect himself and his family.
“We don’t know what it’s going to take in order for us to be back out there on the field,” Mostert said Wednesday. “Testing every week? And playing in a different state? … And that’s something that’s going to be determined once the time comes.”
At least eight NFL teams this week have reopened their facilities to no more than 75 employees. The 49ers are among those teams who can’t reopen because of local safety rules. At this point, no coaches can return to team facilities, and the only players who can are those who previously were undergoing therapy or injury rehab.
It’s widely expected that teams, which would have had offseasons full of organized team activities, won’t reconvene until training camp at the earliest. For a team to fully reopen, the NFL has established guidelines requiring them to have daily screening, temperature scans and adequate supplies. They also must have an Infection Response Team that includes a physician with expertise in infectious diseases.
Still, given the impossible task of social distancing in the sport, the NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, acknowledged this week that teams will have to be adept at quickly isolating those who become infected.
“We fully expect we will have positive cases that will arise,” Sills said.
For his part, Mostert is hopeful the situation will have improved by training camp.
“We just have to look at the brighter side,” he said, “and hope and pray that everyone is looking out for each other and the safety of each other.”