Players object to opening of camps
A flood of tweets question NFL’s safety protocols
A day after NFL owners issued a memo to all 32 teams giving dates for opening training camp during the coronavirus pandemic, a number of players took to social media Sunday morning with the union’s response.
Apparently, there’s more negotiating to be done.
Included in the stream of protest on Twitter was from cornerback Richard Sherman, the 49ers representative for the NFL Players Association.
“The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations from the safety experts that THEY hired,” Sherman tweeted. “We all love this game and we want to go out and compete with our brothers. the NFL needs to prove a safety work environment for us to do that.”
Twitter was flooded with player response that echoed the same message and included the hashtag #WeWantToPLay.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Saints quarterback Drew Brees were among them.
“It’s crazy to hear the NFL has yet to address major health and safety issues with training camp being 2 weeks away,” Murray wrote. “We want to play football. Make it happen @NFL. Keep us safe!”
Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote: “We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done.”
At issue, according to an NFL Network report, are the number of exhibition games (the union wants zero, teams
want two) as well as the rules for players who “opt out” of their contracts and don’t play as well as the frequency of testing for COVID-19.
General managers and head coaches received a memo from NFL executive vice president of operations Troy Vincent on Saturday that announced rookies would report to camp on Tuesday, quarterbacks and injured players Thursday and all other players on July 28.
Center Rodney Hudson, the player rep for the Raiders, gave his rebuttal on Instagram and said his wife was “immunocompromised.”
“Not only is the NFL putting player safety at risk but our loved ones,” Hudson wrote. “My wife is immunocompromised and the NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of the experts will not only jeopardize the season but also players and their family’s lives as well. The NFL needs to adjust if we hope to play a full season.”
NFL player responses Sunday morning included Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, players union president J.C. Tretter and many others with a similar theme in messaging.
“I want to play ball this year!” Carr said in a tweet. “But we are going to need the @NFL to make sure they are listening to everyone and taking the steps for the players and their families to be safe!”
Tretter wrote: “The coronavirus is unique, but the narratives we face as athletes are often recycled and undermine our leverage and power as players. We want to return to work, but we want to be safe, too.”
Former 49ers and current Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner tweeted: “There won’t be an @NFL season if we don’t put players health and safety first. Who’s playing the games if we’re all sick?”
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said he is concerned because his wife, Ciara, is pregnant.
“We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones,” he wrote.
NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and Tretter, a center for the Browns, addressed the union’s concerns in a 90-minute videoconference call with reporters Friday.
They want players tested daily for the virus. A joint committee of doctors, trainers and strength coaches formed by the NFL and NFLPA recommended testing every other day.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL has the right to impose report dates and teams can fine players who don’t report.
The NFLPA could file a grievance to argue the league isn’t providing a safe work environment under the labor deal.