The NFL and the NFLPA are working on an agreement for players to be able to opt-out of playing in 2020 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
No agreement has been reached yet, but it’s among the issues being sorted in out in negotiations between the league and the player’s union as they seek an agreeable path for a return to the field later this month. It’s something that has become a reality for other sports as they try to get back into action.
Several prominent NBA players have opted out of that league’s restart out of concerns over the contagious coronavirus, including Victor Oladipo of the Pacers and Avery Bradley of the Lakers. Bradley cited the health concerns of his asthmatic daughter and the increased risk she would be at with her father potentially being exposed while playing.
That’s an understandable position, one that many NFL players can relate. Some NFL players have underlying conditions that leave them predisposed to increased risk of complications from contracting the disease. Many have young children at home; Lions QB Matthew Stafford and his wife Kelly just had a child, their 4th, in late June. They now have four preschool girls at home.
Allowing players to opt out of playing in 2020 and not having it impact their contract status is indeed something being discussed between the two sides, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. For fans, it might be tough to hear that a prominent player chooses to sit out, but at the same time, it’s hard to blame anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable with the risk to themselves and their loved ones.