Tag: NFL Players Association

NFL and NFLPA agree on no preseason, here’s what else they need to solve

What I’m Hearing: The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to cancel the preseason and reduce camp roster sizes to 80 players. Mike Jones the details and what still needs to be worked out.

What I’m Hearing: The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to cancel the preseason and reduce camp roster sizes to 80 players. Mike Jones the details and what still needs to be worked out.

Report: NFL players may be fined for conduct leading to COVID spread

The NFL Players’ Association is considering whether or not to fine players for “conduct detrimental” which leads to the spread of COVID-19.

The National Football League is desperately trying to find a way to stop the spread of the coronavirus between players ahead of the start of training camp scheduled for the end of the month.

The NFL Players’ Association has already cautioned against group workouts since a number of players have tested positive around the league.

Now, the players’ union is considering fining players for “conduct detrimental” leading to the spread of COVID-19.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Thursday night that the union held a two-hour conference call with players’ representatives and discussed the possibility players could be fined if “they’re found to have spread COVID-19 by engaging in ‘reckless’ behavior away from the facility, such as eating out at restaurants or riding in Ubers.”

Some superstars around the NFL, including quarterbacks Tom Brady and Seahawks signal-caller, Russell Wilson, have continued to engage in the group workouts despite the union’s warnings. Perhaps instituting a monetary fine will help drive the message home that safety must come first.

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NFLPA lays out what needs to happen for NFL training camps to start on time

SportsPulse: NFL training camps are scheduled to start in just under a month. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith lays out all the protocols and plans that need to be in place for camps to start on time.

SportsPulse: NFL training camps are scheduled to start in just under a month. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith lays out all the protocols and plans that need to be in place for camps to start on time.

NFLPA: “We haven’t agreed on what happens” if NFL player tests positive during season

SportsPulse: The NFLPA has little doubts players will test positive for COVID-19 during the season. Quarantining assumed, what happen’s next for the actual teams is still up in the air says Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon.

SportsPulse: The NFLPA has little doubts players will test positive for COVID-19 during the season. Quarantining assumed, what happen’s next for the actual teams is still up in the air says Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon.

NFLPA 80% confident there will be football this season, but says greatest threat comes from people n

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon asked NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith his confidence level that there will be a full football season. While optimistic, he stressed that the biggest threat to football not happening is people continuing to not wear masks or practice social distancing.

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon asked NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith his confidence level that there will be a full football season. While optimistic, he stressed that the biggest threat to football not happening is people continuing to not wear masks or practice social distancing.

NFLPA not happy with Tom Brady’s unsolicited practices: ‘Not in the best interest of player safety’

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to get the union’s response on Tom Brady and Russell Wilson’s impromptu practices with teammates. An act they strongly discouraged prior to Training Camp.

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to get the union’s response on Tom Brady and Russell Wilson’s impromptu practices with teammates. An act they strongly discouraged prior to Training Camp.

NFL discussing allowing new players into club facilities in June

The NFL and the NFLPA are discussing allowing rookies and free agents who need physicals to return to club facilities by June 26.

COVID-19 may not be at the forefront of our country’s mind anymore, after issues of racial injustice and police brutality have taken over, but the impact it is having on the world of sports is still rampant – even if things are slowly starting to get back to normal.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that, while minicamps are not expected at all this year, there is discussion between the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association to allow rookies, as well as veterans who changed teams and need physicals, to return to club facilities on a limited basis as soon as June 26.

For the Seahawks, this would allow the team an opportunity to get their 25 rookies – eight draft picks and 17 undrafted free agents – into the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Washington – along with veteran newcomers Bruce Irvin, Benson Mayowa and Phillip Dorsett, among others.

There are still hurdles to be overcome, including King County’s rules on gatherings over 50 people, but this could be an opportunity for the team’s newcomers to start bonding with each other in person as the start of the 2020 NFL season continues to draw close.

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NFL and players union agree to reopening plan for team facilities

The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to guidelines for reopening team facilities to all players.

The NFL and the players union have agreed to a set of terms to provide for the safe reopening of team facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.

A four-part memo was sent to all 32 teams which detailed protocols for clubs, per the Associated Press. Screening, testing, infection prevention and COVID-19 treatment are all addressed at length. Guidance on accessing facilities, cleaning, hygiene and team travel are also discussed.

Team facilities were closed in late March at the outset of the pandemic.

“Clubs will be required to certify that they have made the arrangements necessary to meet their obligations under these protocols,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in the memo. “And, in certain instances, to provide the details of those arrangements to be reviewed and confirmed by the jointly retained infectious disease experts at (Duke University).”

A tiered approach to return must be followed and presented to the league for approval at least seven days before the reporting date for training camps later this summer.

“No set of protocols can eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, nor ensure that the disease itself will be mild,” Goodell stated. “And we should expect that these protocols will change as medical and scientific knowledge of the disease continues to grow. But we believe, along with the NFLPA, that these protocols offer a sound basis for bringing players back into the facilities and moving forward with our planning for the 2020 season.”

This story is continuing to develop.

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