John Harbaugh On “Humanly Impossible” Covid Regulations

Ravens coach John Harbaugh is concerned that teams will look to gain an advantage by not complying with coronavirus regulations. 

Referencing a Thursday memo outlining the guidelines, he said it will be difficult to comply even for teams with honest intentions. 

John Harbaugh says it’s impossible to operate effective practice under the Covid-19 restrictions set out by the NFL.

“I’ve seen all the memos on that, and to be quite honest with you, it’s impossible what they’re asking us to do. Humanly impossible,” John Harbaugh said.

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“So, we’re going to do everything we can do. We’re going to space, we’re going to have masks. But, you know, it’s a communication sport. We have to be able to communicate with each other in person. We have to practice.”

His frustration lies with the fact that further clarification is needed on how exactly to comply with the precautionary measures.

“I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be 6-feet spaced,” Harbaugh said. 

“Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day? These are things the league and the [players’ association] needs to get a handle on and needs to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13-hour day in training camp that they’re giving us and get our work done. That’s the one thing, you can tell by my voice, I’m a little frustrated with what I’m hearing there. And I think they need to get that pinned down a little better.”

Read: NFL Minicamps Will Be Virtual – No In-Person Requirements For Players

As well as that, in an ultra-competitive environment, some teams may bend or disregard the rules so that they can train better than their opponents.

“As a coach, you don’t want to hear that you’re limiting your operations as far as preparing your team and then you hear 10 other teams aren’t paying attention to the rules and then there’s no consequence for that,” Harbaugh said. 

“Then they have an advantage on you. That’s what I don’t want to see. I just think it needs to be fair and it needs to be reasonable, and I think they’ll find a way to do that.”