The NFL continues to prepare for the 2020 season despite the remaining presence of COVID-19, and in doing so, they have established several protocols to help reduce the risk to players.
One such rule, which was reported by USA TODAY on Thursday, is strict social distancing after the game, including the elimination of jersey swaps.
Players from opposing teams will not be allowed to be within six feet of each other after the game, meaning “jersey exchanges shall be prohibited.”
Yes, allow that to sink in for a moment. After three hours of sweating and bleeding on each other, players will not be able to convene after the game to exchange jerseys, which has become customary in recent years.
After learning of this new guideline, several NFL players hit social media to voice their displeasure, including New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate.
Grab, PI, scratch, tackle, sweat, bleed, breathe heavily during the game but soon as the game ends we need y’all to not jersey swap to practice social distancing?? Mkkkkk right…… https://t.co/SMzuik5ETz
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) July 9, 2020
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson offered even stronger takes.
This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell. Players can go engage in a full contact game and do it safely. However, it is deemed unsafe for them to exchange jerseys after said game. 😂🤣😂 https://t.co/fWefsUSVDc
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) July 9, 2020
thats DAMN SILLY bro.. 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/QDOwn2G3bc
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) July 9, 2020
The decision to eliminate jersey swaps has been universally panned and may turn out to be one of many sticking points when it comes negotiations ahead of what is certain to be a very unique and bizarre season.
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