Tretter says pandemic plan is ongoing

The NFL hasn’t reached the crunch time of the two-minute warning when it comes to addressing how — or if — there is going to be a season this year, but the player’s association is doing its due diligence as it gathers novel coronavirus data.

“We still have time before our season is projected to start,” said Browns’ center J.C. Tretter in a Zoom teleconference with media members on May 19. “A lot of other leagues are trying to figure this out right now. We are not at that point where we need to make decisions. We’re going to continue to sit back and make the best decision for our players.”

Tretter has a lot on his plate these days, including celebrating his 29th birthday and getting married in February, not to mention getting acclimated with two new offensive tackles the Browns acquired this offseason — Jack Conklin via free agency and Jedrick Wills via the NFL draft.

But a big chuck of his time these days is in his first term as the president of the NFL’s Player’s Association, and the everevolving efforts to combat a COVID-19 virus that has halted sports like Major League Baseball and the NBA, among others.

“Our priorities are always going to be the health and safety of the players,” Tretter said. “That term takes a whole new meaning now with everything that’s going on now. You’re talking about their personal healthy. There are a long list of hurdles we have to get over.

“This virus is constantly changing and the information we’re getting is constantly changing.”

Tretter said the NFLPA conducts bi-weekly meetings to keep players and their family’s informed and to answer questions. He noted that while buildings across the league are just beginning to open up for non-football staff, the league has some time on its side. Camps don’t open up until July, though June mini-camps are in question, and preseason games don’t start until Augus.

That is giving the NFL time to brainstorm ideas of how to deal with COVID-19.

“There’s no bad idea at this point,” he said. “You kind of have to think outside the box. The virus isn’t going to kneel down to almighty football. It’s probably going to look a little different this year to make sure people remain healthy.”

One idea that has been brought up is wearing masks when the come to the facilities.

“I haven’t seen any of the prototypes. We’re trying to be really thoughtful and be as safe as we possibly can ... There are a lot of guys with underlying conditions in our league and problems we have to look out for.”

The data-gathering and brain-storming as a seemingly never-ending battle.

“Testing is going to have to be really important. There has to be a plan,” Tretter said. “There are a lot of questions to be answered. But anytime you come up with an answer, five or six questions come up with that answer.”

Tretter noted the closeness in proximity in the sport of football, and not just on the field. Practices, weight-lifting, meeting rooms, dining — most everything — is done via shoulder-to-to shoulder contact. Social distancing isn’t exactly easy.

“This is a contact disease and we play a contact sport,” Tretter said. “People see professional athletes as these invincible robots, but that’s not really the case. There are a lot of guys with underlying conditions and problems we have to look out for.”

Minimizing risk is paramount.

“There is a level of risk to everything,” he said. “You face a level of risk going to the grocery store. There’s always going to be a level of exposure. I don’t think we’ll ever get to the point where there is no risk of exposure. ... Our job is to get that as close to zero as possible. Thats why we’re looking at every little thing we can find to decrease the level of exposure you’ll face.”

In regard to the new tackles on the Browns’ roster, Tretter called Wills, the rookie out of Auburn, “a really bright kid,” and lauded the addition of veteran Conklin, saying, “it’s nice to have another veteran in the room. He fits right in.”

In the days after the draft, Tretter reached out to both Wills and Nick Harris, a fifth-round pick out of Washington who as a center plays the same position as Tretter.

“First, I congratulated them,” Tretter said. “It’s a big day to be drafted, how big of an accomplishment that is.

“I’m always there to answer questions. That’s my role, to welcome guys in and let them know the older guys are looking out for them to help out whenever they need.”