The Buffalo Bills are going to open training camp at the end of July, if things go according to plan. The NFL announced last week that training camps would open, as planned. We’ll see if that holds true due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But after that, the NFLPA pumped the brakes a bit and said players need to be prepared and educated about the potential harm in returning to team facilities. Bills safety Micah Hyde also recently discussed the harms in returning, saying the pandemic is “bigger than football.”
The league already said it will use social distancing and take other measures during training camp, when possible. But is that enough?
The players and owners have to get on the same page in order for a successful return, and those very important decisions could be coming as soon as late next week, according to Mike Jones of USA TODAY Sports.
Per Jones:
“The talks continue with the goal of hammering out the most important factors somewhere between July 8 and 10, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter,” Jones writes. “That timeline would give players time to make travel plans to return to the cities of their employment before the start of camp on July 28.”
In addition to coming to terms with protocols for a return, there’s a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country currently in places like Texas, Florida and California. New York is on the right side of the things, but league-wide, things are still a bit messy.
Stay tuned for perhaps a little bit more confirmation in regard to the NFL’s return in 2020.
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