NFL Clamping Down On Protocol Following Titans Covid Outbreak
The NFL has threatened severe punishment for team’s whose coaches won’t wear masks on the sideline during games.
A memo from executive vice president Troy Vincent says that sanctions could include suspensions and forfeiture of future draft picks.
The warning comes after the Tennessee Titans experienced the league’s first Covid-19 outbreak on Tuesday. Wednesday reports confirmed that three players and five Titans personnel had returned positive tests.
A fourth player, linebacker Kamalei Correa was placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list later on Wednesday. As a result, Tennessee’s Sunday match against the Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed until Monday or Tuesday.
Want $250 to bet on Thursday Night Football?
How the NFL navigates the coming weeks will determine whether the season can truly be played in pandemic conditions.Â
On Wednesday night, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the NBA’s restart has largely been a success. However, the NFL can’t make a bubble, and it has a full season to play. The league must enforce protocol to have any chance of continuing the season, and it knows it.
Coaches Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Sean McVay and Vic Fangio have already been fined for not wearing masks during games.
“Both our own and independent medical advisors have emphasized the need to remain vigilant and disciplined in following the processes and protocols put in place by agreement with the NFLPA as well as by state and local governments,” Vincent wrote in the memo.
Read: Covid-19 – Tennessee Titans Experience NFL’s First Outbreak
“We are only through Week 3 of the season. If we are to play a full and uninterrupted season, we all must remain committed to our efforts to mitigate the risk of transmission of the virus. Inconsistent adherence to health and safety protocols … will put the 2020 season at risk.”
