We are about a month away from when the NFL is hoping to get the first players at their facilities for training camp. Training camp for all NFL teams is currently scheduled to start on July 28 with discussions about potentially an extended pre-camp warmup due to losing their offseason program.
Nothing is set in stone because the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is fluid. In many states, the rate of new cases continues to rise and in others, there are fears of a second wave hitting.
Now reports say four players from the Texans and Cowboys have tested positive for COVID-19, one of whom is Ezekiel Elliott.
If nothing else, this news should be a reminder for those who either forgot or thought the worst of the pandemic was in the rearview, that it is still very real and still very much an active problem.
The NFL is prohibiting players from gathering at the team facilities during this time for just this reason. But that isn’t stopping players from taking it upon themselves to get together for practice.
Just a week ago, some Raiders players met up at a park in Las Vegas for a practice. some 30-35 players according to a recent report in The Athletic.
The players in attendance included quarterbacks Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman, running back Alec Ingold, wide receivers Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones, Nelson Agholor, and De’Mornay Pierson-El, tight ends Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jason Witten, and Derek Carrier, Offensive linemen Richie Incognito, Kolton Miller, Andre James, Brandon Parker, and rookie John Simpson, defensive backs Johnathan Abram, Damarious Randall, Keisean Nixon, and rookie Damon Arnette.
If all the players on-hand can say they have been keeping safe during the stay-at-home orders, they may have felt safe enough around each other.
It’s large crowds that can significantly raise the risk of contracting the coronavirus. Say, a couple dozen people.
That’s how many fans that were said to have gathered to watch the Raiders practice last week, and then approached the players afterward for autographs.
“It’s a public park,” Waller told The Athletic. “But they have been respecting us and we appreciate them letting us do our work before they bum-rush us. They’re excited. That’s a good thing. People are foaming at the mouth to have a winner, to have an exciting team and we’re definitely bringing that to the table.”
While “foaming at the mouth” is an interesting choice of words by Waller, it’s the “bum-rush” part that is far more concerning.
According to Hoku Curran, who was on-hand to photograph the players, the fans were respectful, and some were wearing masks, though they were less vigilant about social distancing and wearing face coverings than in previous encounters.
“Back in March/April when things were still very strict and serious fans even took selfies from a distance and people weren’t coming up for autographs then,” said Curran.
“That was also before word got out of where we were and it was just people that happened to be at the park.”
The coronavirus is extremely contagious. It only takes one fan to pass it to one or more players (and vice versa) and those players can easily pass it to several of their teammates, then coaches, their families, and so on.
Hopefully, the players are being careful and using sanitizer immediately after contact. For their safety, the safety of their families, and, to a lesser degree, the hopes of holding a training camp in July and an NFL season in 2020.
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