NFL, players still at odds over how season can start

The haggling continues as the NFL’s owners and players union try to figure out the best way to stage a football season despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Owners and NFL Players Association officials already are at odds over the frequency of testing for the coronavirus and whether to hold even an abbreviated preseason. Then on Tuesday, the union informed its board of representatives that the NFL had proposed holding 35% of player salaries in escrow to help deal with potential revenue loss during a COVID-19 impacted season, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing talks.

The players are not in favor of such a proposal, and many of them voiced their displeasure on social media Tuesday evening. Some of them pointed out that by playing, they actually are subjecting themselves and their families to greater risks.

NFLPA leaders understand that the possibility of having to play a season without fans in attendance will significantly impact the league financially. And that could impact future salary caps. However, the players union would prefer to essentially borrow from future salary caps, spreading the reduction out over the life of the collective bargaining agreement (2020 to 2030).

The league and player leaders continue to have ongoing discussions.

Training camps are still scheduled to kick off July 28, although the NFL and NFLPA have yet to finalize all of the protocol related to testing and how teams will handle potential coronavirus breakouts at their facilities.

The joint medical committee formed by the NFL and NFLPA recommended a longer than usual acclimation period to help players minimize risk of injury because of the absence of an offseason conditioning program. The recommendation was roughly 48 days.

To help compensate for lost time, the NFL proposed requiring players to report for training camp early, but the union – pointing out that such a request violates the CBA – refused. So while training camps are scheduled to start on time, the owners proposed shortening the preseason from four games to two to help give players more time to acclimate. (Holding two preseason games would enable the owners to still bring in revenue from broadcast contracts even if fans aren’t in attendance). But because that time window is still less than the acclimation window recommended by the joint committee, the NFLPA would like to cancel all preseason games rather than rushing the process and also subjecting players to unnecessary travel-related risks to the coronavirus for games that don’t count.

NFLPA President and Browns center J.C. Tretter on Tuesday in a column on the union’s website called on the league to do a better job of prioritizing player safety during the pandemic.

“Like many other industries, football’s resistance to change is based on the belief that the best way to run things is the way we’ve always run things,” Tretter wrote. “That pervasive thought process will stop this season in its tracks . ... Every decision this year that prioritizes normalcy over innovation, custom over science or even football over health, significantly reduces our chances of completing the full season.”