NFL players have been sounding off the past few days about a lack of health and safety protocols as training camp rapidly nears. A key disagreement was the players request for daily COVID-19 testing but the NFL wasn’t initially complying.
After high-level players across the league took to social media in a coordinated thunderclap using the ‘wewanttoplay’ hashtag, the NFL called a meeting with owners the following day. The result is an agreement between the NFLPA and NFL on testing protocols a day before rookies from the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs report for camp.
The protocols are summarized below:
Pre-entry testing:
-Before entering the team facility, all individuals must be tested on two separate occasions separated by 72 hours. They must also self-quarantine for that time period.
-After being tested twice, daily testing will begin on Day 5 and players may enter the facility for the first time.
Ongoing Testing:
-Players and anyone in Tier 1 and 2 will be tested daily for the first two weeks of camp.
-After the first two weeks of testing, if the percentage of positive tests is less than 5% or below for the two week time period, testing for players, and Tiers 1 and 2 will be every other day. If positive tests don’t meet this criteria, daily testing will continue for another two weeks until a decrease is seen.
The NFLPA made another statement regarding the progress that was made to meet the players demands.
Players are also requesting no preseason games in 2020. The NFL has offered to meet this request but no final decision has been announced. Until then, the NFL has reduced the preseason to two games.