Several members of the Green Bay Packers, including Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams and All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, joined a growing group of high-profile players pleading with the NFL for increased safety measures as the league navigates through the coronavirus pandemic while attempting to open training camps on time.
The players included the hashtag “WeWantToPlay” with every social media post. Many are highly concerned with a lack of answers from the league on a variety of health-related issues regarding the opening of training camps while the pandemic rages on in the United States.
The Packers are scheduled to start training camp next week, with rookies reporting on July 21 and veterans starting on July 28.
Players, together with the NFLPA, want a clear and more comprehensive plan from the league on how to safely open camps and start the season while protecting the players.
Adams emphasized the importance of keeping the families of players healthy and ended his post by asking the NFL to forget the money side and “handle this properly.”
Everyone I’ve spoke with is in the same mental space at this point. #WeWanttoPlay but more than anything we want to remain healthy and that also means keeping our wives, kids, and other family healthy as well. @NFL its bigger than $ handle this properly.
— Davante Adams (@tae15adams) July 19, 2020
All 32 NFL teams joined a conference call to address the issues on Friday. The call did little to calm the concerns of the players about the upcoming season, especially with the start of training camps so close.
From Bakhtiari: “We want to play. We want to be a beacon of light during these tough times. All we ask is for the NFL to listen and cooperate with the doctors and scientists to collectively come up with a health and safety plan with the NFLPA so the players can do what we love.”
We want to play. We want to be a beacon of light during these tough times. All we ask is for the @NFL to listen and cooperate with the doctors and scientist to collectively come up with a health and safety plan with the @NFLPA so the players can do what we love. #WeWanttoPlay
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) July 19, 2020
Other players, including current Packers linebackers Christian Kirksey, Oren Burks and Curtis Bolton and former Packers such as JC Tretter and Randall Cobb, also pleaded with the league to improve the safety plan.