Tag: jersey swaps

NFL sets game-day safety protocols, restrictions ahead of 2020 season

The NFL has now set some initial game-day safety protocols ahead of the 2020 season to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

The National Football League is busy preparing for the start of the 2020 NFL season despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the country.

With training camps set to kick off at the end of the month, the league has now issued some initial game-day protocols to ensure the safety of players, coaching staff and fans – should they actually be allowed into stadiums.

“NFL teams will be forbidden from postgame interactions within 6 feet of each other and jersey exchanges between players will be prohibited during the 2020 season, sources say,” NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweeted on Thursday. “Another way the NFL will look different in the COVID-19 world.”

Pelissero later included some other restrictions to be put into place on game-day, including the ban of on-field fan seating, the requirement both teams arrive at the stadium via bus and the ban of media from the locker rooms.

Clearly, more protocols need to be put into place to ensure safety for all, but these initial mandates are at least a start.

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NFL bans postgame jersey swaps due to COVID-19

New Orleans Saints players will be unable to swap jerseys or handshakes with their opponents around the NFL due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Many New Orleans Saints players have made a tradition of exchanging jerseys with their opponents and peers across the league after games, but that won’t be an option in 2020. The NFL is outlawing postgame jersey swaps in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as well as any other interactions between opposing teams following the final whistle. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the news, adding that other precautions like on-field fan appearances and postgame locker room interviews will be prohibited.

It’s a jarring move considering that these same players will be running into each other for hours during the games themselves. Cameron Jordan will spend all afternoon chasing Teddy Bridgewater around in the backfield, but he won’t be allowed to shake hands and offer a “Good game,” once it’s over. While the NFL should be adopting an abundance of caution — coronavirus infections are inevitable in this team-based, high-contact sport — this kind of sends a confusing message. If it’s too dangerous for players to interact after games, doesn’t that mean they shouldn’t be together in the first place?

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