League bans postgame jersey swaps, handshakes
NFL teams will be prohibited from postgame interactions within 6 feet of each other, so players won’t be allowed to exchange jerseys after games as part of the guidelines to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.
It didn’t take long for the 49ers’ Richard Sherman to offer up his take on the new jersey-exchange rule.
“This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell. 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,” Sherman tweeted, followed by laughter emojis.
The restrictions are outlined in the game-day protocols finalized by the league and NFL Players Association on Wednesday. The 11-page document sent to each club and obtained by The Associated Press includes several changes for the upcoming season:
• Players and coaches are not required to wear masks, but everyone else on the sideline is.
• Everyone with access to the bench area is prohibited from sharing any personal items, including cups, food, towels and clothing.
• Anyone who records a temperature at or above 100.4 degrees on game day will not be permitted to enter the stadium.
• Inactive players must either be in the designated bench area or must remain in the locker room, an empty suite or some other designated isolated location in the stadium during pregame and throughout the game to avoid interactions with any non-team personnel.
• On-field fan seating is prohibited.
• Cheerleaders, mascots, flag runners and other entertainers must be approved by the NFL in advance and, if approved, must meet physical distancing and screening and testing requirements.
• Media is banned from the locker room.
The league and the players’ union still haven’t agreed on testing and screening protocols.
Hosuton Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson called it “silly” and asked, “why are they letting us play at all?”
PATRIOTS’ EDELMAN OFFERS TO TAKE JACKSON TO HOLOCAUST MUSEUM >> New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman said he hopes recent anti-Semitic social media posts by Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson can be a teaching moment, not just for him but others as well.
In a video posted to Instagram, Edelman joined the Eagles, NFL and others who have condemned Jackson’s posts over the weekend in which he shared a screenshot of a quote widely attributed to Adolf Hitler, saying in part: “Jews will blackmail America.”
Jackson apologized for the posts in a video on Tuesday, saying in part that they weren’t intended to demean the Jewish community and that he “never should have posted anything Hitler did, because Hitler was a bad person, and I know that.”
Edelman offered to accompany Jackson to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and promised to attend the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with Jackson in return.
“Afterwards, we grab some burgers and we have those uncomfortable conversations,” Edelman said.
Edelman said Thursday that he waited to respond to Jackson’s initial post because of the complexity of the issue. The MVP of the 2019 Super Bowl noted that he has communicated in the past with Jackson over social media and said he has “nothing but respect for his game” on the field.
“I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation,” Edelman said in the video. “I’m proud of my Jewish heritage and for me it’s not just about religion, it’s about community and culture as well . ... There’s no room for anti-Semitism in this world.”