Players opt out of NFL season over coronavirus concerns
National Football League players are preparing for what would be a very unusual season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, as dozens of others are opting out choosing not to take the risk; Mike Tobin reports.
Houston Texans star J.J. Watt expressed optimism about the 2020 NFL season starting on time despite the coronavirus pandemic potentially putting a damper on the college football season.
Watt assured NBC Sports in a story published Monday that he has no doubts about the season getting underway.
“I believe Week 1 will happen. I’m optimistic,” he said.
While the NFL Players Association reported that 56 players tested positive for the coronavirus last week, a majority of the players have already returned to training camp recovered from the virus. NBC Sports noted that six teams have yet to have a player contract the illness.
The Texans reportedly tested 80 players and 100 staff members who had been in contact with players for the last 11 days and no one had a positive test.
Watt also looked on the bright side when it comes to the new training camp schedule. The NFL’s health guidelines have forced teams to alter the way they practice and work players out.
66 NFL PLAYERS OPT OUT OF PLAYING THE 2020 SEASON OVER CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS
“I mean, if I’m being perfectly honest, it’s somewhat nice from an actual football standpoint,” Watt told NBC Sports. “Think about a normal training-camp day: You’re in the building from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. And you got a whole bunch of meetings. Now, we are very efficient in our meetings. We get things done. Nobody’s screwing around. Everybody’s locked in. It’s just really been good with our Zoom meetings. Just purely being in the comfort of your home doing your Zoom meetings, and not having to rush into the stadium early in the morning. It is a nice feature.”
Week 1 is a month away. The Texans take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 10 to kick off the 2020 season.
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