Tag: covid-19 pandemic

Ex-Jets assistant out as Vikings coordinator after refusing COVID-19 vaccine

Former Jets assistant Rick Dennison won’t coach with the Vikings in 2021 after refusing a COVID-19 vaccine.

A former Jets assistant coach lost his job on Friday after refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Vikings fired offensive line coach Rick Dennison for choosing not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Dennison served as the Jets offensive line coach and run game coordinator under Todd Bowles in 2018.

All Tier-1 coaches, front office executives and other staff members are required to be vaccinated against the virus, according to the NFL’s COVID-19 policies, unless they have a valid religious or medical reason. If they aren’t vaccinated, they lose that status and won’t be allowed direct access to players – including on the field and in meeting rooms.

Dennison didn’t have an approved exemption, according to a statement released by the Vikings, but the team said it will “continue to hold discussions” with the coach.

Players are not required to be vaccinated, but the NFL released new protocols which incentivize players to get the shot. Players and teams could also forfeit games and game checks if an outbreak occurs among the unvaccinated. It’s become a contentious point among some members of the league, and a few players have already voiced their opinions on Twitter.

When can the Jets begin OTAs?

The Jets won’t get a head start in offseason meetings this year despite hiring a new coach in Robert Saleh.

The NFL’s offseason workout schedule is beginning to take shape a year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced teams to conduct everything virtually.

Clubs can start Phase 1 of their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on April 19, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. That phase involves meetings between players and coaches. There are still a lot of details to be worked out between now and then, but it gives teams a framework to build on as they head into the 2021 season.

Typically, a team like the Jets, who just hired a new head coach, would have been able to begin this part of the offseason this week. But given the state of the pandemic and the uncertainty of the rest of the offseason schedule, it appears as though the NFL is leveling the playing field for all teams.

Pelissero went on to explain “there’s hope for practices this spring, even if meetings remain virtual indefinitely.” This is a stark difference from last year when all team facilities were closed until May 19 – well into the offseason and after the draft. It’s unclear if the preseason will happen, either, after the NFL canceled it last year, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did say he expects stadiums to open at full capacity for the 2021 season.

Jets, Giants can plan on having fans back at MetLife Stadium soon

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will allow venues like Metlife Stadium to open at 15 percent capacity starting March. 1

We’re getting closer and closer to fans returning to MetLife Stadium.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that outdoor facilities like MetLife will be allowed open at 15 percent capacity starting March 1. That means that if the Jets had a game then, 12,375 fans could watch from the stadium seats. Gov. Murphy closed venues like MetLife in July 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and local fans weren’t allowed to watch any games this past season. This most recent decision creates a pathway toward fans finally being able to watch the Jets and the Giants live. 

In a joint statement after the announcement, the Jets and Giants are both hopeful that the number of fans allowed will rise as the season draws closer and the pandemic wanes. The 2021 preseason should begin in August, but last year’s preseason was canceled because of the pandemic. 

Tackle Mekhi Becton had a message for everyone after hearing the news himself. He, like the Jets, wants to see more fans watching the team and asked that they wear their masks in order to make that happen.

Report: Mississippi State to play Georgia with less than 53 scholarship players

According to a report from Al.com’s Matt Zenitz, Mississippi State will have players unavailable vs. UGA Saturday night due to COVID-19.

According to a report from Al.com’s Matt Zenitz, Mississippi State will have more players unavailable for Saturday night’s game vs. Georgia after its latest round of COVID testing.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach brought in an entirely new coaching staff and program-changing offensive system when he came over from Washington State early this year.

Since then, 17 players have either opted-out of the 2020 season or have transferred from the program altogether, causing a glaring lack of depth during a time where every scholarship player is important.

Just this week, the COVID-19 virus has impacted 16 games in college football and it seems that at any moment games can be postponed or cancelled.

Mississippi State will roll into Athens with less than 53 scholarship players, more than 30 scholarships less than the 85 mark set for Division I schools.

On the other side, Georgia has been fortunate to not miss time due to any outbreaks but let’s hope tests continue to come back negative and this game can be played.

Make sure you’re caught up on Georgia Football before the game! I breakdown everything you need to know before the Dawgs take on Mississippi State in this week’s episode of the UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton podcast, featuring special guest, former UGA All-American punter Drew Butler. Listen here:

 

Report: MSU’s Mark Dantonio agrees to ‘indefinite’ furlough

Dantonio stepped down as MSU’s head coach in February, but remained within the athletic department to work on a variety of special projects

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Former Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio is reportedly on an indefinite furlough from his role in the athletic department, and has been for nearly two months.

Chris Solari and Steve Berkowitz of the Detroit Free Press reported this news on Friday, stating Dantonio agreed to the furlough in late August to help MSU better manuever through the financial hardship the pandemic has thrown at the athletic department.

Dantonio abruptly retired in February from his position as head coach of Michigan State’s football program, but agreed to remain within the athletic department to work on a variety of special projects, including donor relations. That role, according to the Detroit Free Press, is contracted through Feb. 22, 2022 and will annually pay him $100,000. Dantonio also received a $4.3 million longevity bonus shortly before his retirement earlier this year.

In total, Michigan State is reportedly on the hook to payout “nearly $15 million” in 2020 for Dantonio and new head coach Mel Tucker — who is on the first year of a six-year contract that pays around $5.5 million annually.

Mark Dantonio is the Spartans’ all-time winningest coach with a career record of 114-57 in the 13 years he was MSU’s head coach.

Read the Detroit Free Press’ entire story on Dantonio’s furlough, including comments from the athletic department

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The Big Ten shifts – decides to play football this fall, kickoff scheduled for Oct. 24

What will Big Ten football look like this fall and how will it compare to the SEC and ACC? Details and analysis here.

The Big Ten made news in early August when league officials decided to cancel all fall sports – including of course, schools’ biggest money-maker, football.

Now, in an official statement Wednesday, the conference announced that they are restarting the fall football season and will return to kickoff set for the weekend of Aug. 23rd.

They have scheduled an 8-game, conference-only season in eight weeks, two games fewer than the SEC’s 2020 slate, with no bye-weeks.

Per the Big Ten:

“The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020.”

It seems that the league office gave-in to the immense pressures to reconsider their decision to cancel football from coaches, players and their families.

There are currently over 300,000 signatures on the We Want To Play movement’s petition to the Big Ten’s original decision, popularized mostly by former Georgia quarterback, now Ohio State Buckeye Heisman hopeful Justin Fields

The real question is now, what will Big Ten football look like compared to that of the SEC? They start a month later and, as mentioned earlier,  have an eight-game lineup in eight weeks with no byes.

Plus, the Big Ten’s policy for an athlete testing positive for Covid-19 is a minimum quarantine of 21 days. So, one outbreak and your season is thrown way off the rails.

Per the Big Ten:

“The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.”

Add the lay off after the season cancellation and Big Ten teams start at a disadvantage. However, Ohio State should have a straight shot to the playoff because of opt-outs from athletes of programs like Maryland and Michigan State.

Truly an unprecedented time for everyone right now. Check back for more updates as more news regarding the Big Ten’s decision rolls in.

 

 

 

 

Texas Tech limits home games to 25% capacity, will require face coverings. Will Georgia follow?

Texas Tech becomes the 4th school to reportedly plan to limit stadium capacity. Could UGA eventually release a similar plan for Sanford?

Per college football insider Brett McMurphy, Texas Tech University will limit its football stadium’s capacity to maximum of 25%, as well as institute a face covering requirement to both fans and staff at all home football games.

Texas, Ohio State and LSU have all reportedly planned to limit the capacity of their iconic football stadiums due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, now Texas Tech follows suit.

Sad thoughts, of course, to Ohio State with the Big Ten’s plan to postpone until spring.

But the real question is, with four major Power Five school’s already releasing a plan to limit stadium capacity – how long before more SEC schools, or specifically the University of Georgia follows with a similar plan?

UGA plans to have face-to-face classes starting Aug 20 – until late November when classes move online – and in early July, UGA listed a limited capacity ‘option‘ in a plan release by a UGA athletics group: Plans for a Phased Return to Full Operations.

Things said, I could definitely see Georgia doing something with Stanford Stadium this year that is similar to the schools who have college towns similar to Athens.

Athens is definitely one of those historic places at risk with so many small business in one place and, without students or fans, I suspect it wouldn’t be the city DawgNation knows and loves before long.

Greg Van Roten confident players can minimize COVID-19 risk: ‘Guys want to get paid’

Jets offensive lineman Greg Van Roten has faith that his fellow NFL players can be disciplined enough to minimize the risk of COVID-19.

Jets offensive lineman Greg Van Roten beleives that his fellow NFL players are going to do whatever it takes to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19 this season.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Van Roten indicated that he has faith in the ability of his colleagues to maintain enough self-discipline to prevent a widespread coronavirus outbreak across football — especially with millions of dollars on the line.

“I am confident,” Van Roten said. “Guys want to get paid and the way you get paid is by being available to play football.”

Van Roten has a point. No football means no pay, which should be enough incentive for players around the league to ensure they stay healthy. That has not been the case with athletes from one of America’s other major sports leagues, though.

COVID-19 outbreaks have taken baseball’s Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals by storm recently. Miami just returned to play this week after 17 players tested positive, while St. Louis is sidelined due to the virus, which has infected 13 Cardinals players, according to Major League Baseball. has infected 13 Cardinals players, according to Major League Baseball. Players on both teams were suspected of going out while away from the ballpark.

Can NFL players maintain enough self-discipline to avoid similar outbreaks engulfing their respective teams? That remains to be seen, especially considering some of the larger than life personalities scattered across the league. The NBA and NHL have been able to operate without any complications amid the virus, but the two leagues have done so in a bubble. There will be no such setting in the NFL this upcoming season.

No bubble means teams traveling from city to city. Traveling from city to city means some players are bound to roll the dice and head out for a night on the town, especially in some of the country’s more lax states. That night out could lead to a coronavirus spread, which would put the entire 2020 season in jeopardy.

At this point, all the NFL can hope for is that its players will take it upon themselves to mitigate a potential COVID-19 outbreak. That might be a lot to ask, but at least Van Roten has confidence that they can get the job done.

Josh Doctson places health above chance to revive career by opting out of 2020 season

By opting out of the 2020 NFL season, Jets wide receiver Josh Doctson prioritized his health over the chance to revive his career.

When Josh Doctson signed with the Jets back in February, chances are he was thinking more about reviving his career than he was about a global pandemic.

A week into training camp, however, and Doctson has decided to put his fifth NFL season off. The wide receiver pulled the plug on his 2020 campaign on Thursday, joining Leo Kolomatangi and C.J. Mosley as the third Jets player to opt-out due to COVID-19 concerns. Considering all that was at stake for Doctson this August, this had to be a hard decision.

When New York signed Doctson, it inherited a player whose career was at a crossroads. The former first-round pick flopped in Washington, recording no more than 532 receiving yards in any of his three seasons there before being released. Doctson’s tenure with the Vikings was even shorter, as he was cut mid-season after playing only seven snaps for Minnesota.

Despite the rough start to Doctson’s professional career, another opportunity presented itself in the Big Apple. With their wide receiver room lacking depth, the Jets took a chance on the TCU product. This was much more than an offseason flier signing, too. Doctson was going to have a legitimate chance to turn things around and make New York’s 53-man roster out of training camp.

Instead, Doctson prioritized his health and the health of those around him by opting out — a brave decision for a 27-year-old whose career was already at stake. He could have kept chugging along in an effort to finally reach his potential, but the risks that come along with playing football during a pandemic were simply too loud for him to ignore.

Doctson opting to put his career on pause cannot be viewed in the same ilk as Mosley’s. Doctson does not have an $85 million contract to fall back on. He made good money on his rookie contract, but at this rate, that might be the last multi-million dollar deal he ever signs. There is no guarantee another team, the Jets included, give Doctson another chance in 2021. By then it will have been two seasons since he caught a pass, and that will not make him an attractive option for teams in the market for a wide receiver.

Doctson, however, made his choice. He placed his health above a potential career revival. That might seem like a crazy decision to some, but with a deadly virus still floating around, Doctson thought just the opposite.