Roger Goodell Taking No Prisoners for Covid-19 Violations

“The big thing for us is to not get comfortable,” said Roger Goodell before the start of the NFL season. “We’re dealing with a lot of uncertainty.”

Following the league’s first Covid-19 outbreak last week, the NFL is making sure nobody gets complacent. 

The NFL announced on Monday even more stringent regulations for it’s 32 teams to follow to contain the virus. 

From now on, all team activities will be videotaped to ensure compliance with mask wearing and gathering protocol. As well as that, the league is restricting the number of free agent tryouts per week.

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Team gatherings outside team facilities are also banned as Roger Goodell tries to ensure the full season can be played. 

“If it is determined that club personnel or players failed to have followed the protocols, discipline will be issued and will escalate where noncompliance continues,”a Roger Goodell memo said.

“Protocol violations that result in virus spread requiring adjustments to the schedule or otherwise impacting other teams will result in additional financial and competitive discipline, including the adjustment or loss of draft choices or even the forfeit of a game.”

It’s a reiteration of a warning from Troy Vincent last week, who threatened the same sanctions. Given the precarious situation, the commissioner won’t hesitate to play the role of the enforcer. 

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The Tennessee Titans are under investigation after they experienced the league’s first outbreak, with 10 positive tests. As well as that, a spate of fines have been handed out to coaches and teams for failure to wear masks and for having gatherings. 

In the event of more positive tests, the NFL will continue to reschedule weekend Games on a Monday or Tuesday. Down the line, the league will juggle bye weeks to deal with fixture congestion.