Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter is the president of the NFL player’s union, and in that capacity he issued a somber warning that football might not be ready to roll on schedule.
Tretter made it clear the players will not rush back just to play football for fans’ amusement. And he indicated there is a way to go before the players and owners agree on how to keep the inherently dangerous contact sport as safe as possible in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From his open letter on the NFLPA page,
It is the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe work environment. I encourage all workers to hold their employers accountable to high standards. More so than any other sport, the game of football is the perfect storm for virus transmission. There are protections, both short and long term, that must be agreed upon before we can safely return to work. The NFLPA will be diligent as we demand that the NFL provide us the safest workplace possible.
That is an ominous warning that the NFLPA is not yet comfortable with getting back on the field right now.
Tretter noted the worry many players have about their families, as well as some players who are immunocompromised and their increased risk if they contract the coronavirus. Those concerns have led some players in other sports, notably Los Angeles Lakers starter Avery Bradley, to refuse to return to work.
Training camp is still scheduled to begin in late July but that seems in some peril based on Tretter’s letter.