Bruce Arians Banning Players From Socialising, Doesn’t ‘Give A Crap’
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is taking a tough stance on Covid-19 safety protocols this season.
Under this year’s more relaxed NFL and NFLPA regulations, vaccinated players are allowed to socialise with other vaccinated people on road trips.
Recently, kicker Ryan Succop tested positive for Covid-19, in spite of being fully vaccinated. His infection was as a result of going to dinner with members of the Tennessee Titans.
This was the final straw for Bruce Arians, who has the right to impose his own rules on the team as a coach.
Want $250 to bet on NFL futures?
Going forward, Bruce Arians is going to prohibit his players from mingling on road trips throughout the season.
“For us, life is not normal,” he said. “We’re pretty much under the same protocols as last year. Just because that’s the way it is, especially living here. With Tennessee coming in and going out to dinner, they found out the hard way and so did Ryan.
“We can only tell them so much, but once we get to 53 — even this weekend, our guys are going to make a bunch of sacrifices that you have to make now. Families at the hotel, all of those things are all out the window.”
Read: 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Has ‘Pretty Good Idea’ Who He’ll Start At QB
“There’s league rules and then there are my rules,” Arians said. “They aren’t going anywhere. We’re doing the same as last year. I don’t give a crap if they’re vaccinated or not. They’re not going anywhere.”
Expect to see more coaches take a hard stance on players socialising this year. Nobody wants to end up in a situation like the Broncos last season. It won’t take much for an entire quarterback room to be wiped out, and you’re looking towards a training squad receiver in a key game.
