NFL bans postgame jersey swaps, reveals mask policy
“Players can go engage in a full contact game and do it safely. However, it is deemed unsafe for them to exchange jerseys after said game.”
Richard Sherman
49ers defensive back
Jersey swaps among NFL players, which got going in 2017 and then really took off around Raven’s QB Lamar Jackson last year, will be banned this season over concerns about coronavirus.
The prohibition was one of several game-protocol measures the NFL and the NFL Players Association outlined in documents sent to teams Wednesday and obtained by USA TODAY. Some players see the jersey move as superficial. “This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell,” 49ers DB Richard Sherman wrote on Twitter. “Players can go engage in a full contact game and do it safely. However, it is deemed unsafe for them to exchange jerseys after said game.”
Other highlights include no one with a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher being allowed into the stadium on game days, the “encouraged” — but not always required — use of masks on the sidelines and the ban of a popular postgame tradition.
Bench area individuals (officials, chain/ball crews, medical staff) are required to wear masks, though coaches and players are exempt. However, coaches and players who aren’t regularly subbing in are “strongly encouraged to wear masks on the side lines.” Disposable
masks will be available.
Social distancing and no sharing of personal items will be mandated in the bench area.
Teams will have until three days before the first preseason game to send the NFL their list of individuals with field access. Those individuals (stadium operations, field crews, league/club game day assistants, club staff, network and other on-field media) must wear face coverings at all times and remain outside of a yellow dotted line, which will run between between the 30-yard lines and be at least 10 feet behind the bench area.
Any person with that access who responds to a questionnaire suggesting he or she may have COVID-19, or records a temperature above 100.4, will not be allowed to report to the stadium.
Additionally, home teams must stay at hotels the night before games and report to the stadium via bus. Arrival times between the two teams will be staggered. The protocol also outlines disinfecting policies of the locker and training rooms.