Los Angeles Rams rookies are less than a week away from reporting to the team’s practice facility for training camp, although it appears the league does not have strict health and safety protocols in place to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The NBA, MLB and NHL are all on the verge of their returns, although they either have strict bubbles for their seasons or strict protocols to ensure the players’ and staff members’ safety.
Despite plenty of time to get those in place, the NFL has been focused on other things. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay recently asked how players will be able to maintain social distancing while playing a contact sport like football, which is a valid question with no answer yet.
Now the players are fed up as stars from all across the league took to social media to express their concerns before heading to training camp. Among them were Los Angeles Rams players Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and Austin Corbett:
You want to watch football this year? Us players need to remain healthy in order to make that happen. The NFL needs to do their part in order to bring football back safely in 2020. Please address health and safety concerns so we can play football this year. We want to play!
— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) July 19, 2020
It’s a shame that the @nfl doesn’t care about doing their part to keep players healthy and safe. They need to make sure football can come back the right way. We have to look out for ourselves as well as our families. #WeWantToPlay
— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) July 19, 2020
My wife is pregnant and due in a month and a half. I’ve lived with severe asthma since I was two. Players safety, as well as our families safety, needs to be the priority of the NFL. #WeWanttoPlay https://t.co/377w2vg0E9
— Austin Corbett (@BigCorbs73) July 19, 2020
Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt did a nice job of laying out the exact concerns the players have at this time:
Once again in the interest of keeping everyone (players & fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group gets set to report to training camp tomorrow.#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/xQcjs33zgM
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 19, 2020
Unless the NFL is able to work quickly to get protocols in place, it is hard to see players reporting to training camp this week. The last thing the league wants to do is push the start of the season back though, so hopefully everyone can work together to ensure the safety of the players and everyone involved.
