April 3, 2020

NFL games not feasible without widespread tests

I know my regular readers don't want to hear this, but NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills was blunt and bleak in his opinion about the possibility of a 2020 NFL season;

"As long as we're still in a place where when a single individual tests positive for the virus that you have to quarantine every single person who was in contact with them in any shape, form, or fashion, then I don't think you can begin to think about reopening a team sport," Sills told Judy Battista of NFL.com. "Because we're going to have positive cases for a very long time."

Widespread rapid testing for the coronavirus testing would be required by every single person involved:

Players

Coaches

Executives

Equipment team

Referees

Field personnel

Security

Media

Stadium personnel

And on, and on.

And that's if we can develop a 5-minute test result kit.

Earlier in the week, NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said the league is planning for a full season starting in September and in front of fans.

Sills added that the combination of frequent tests and quick results are not currently available on a large scale, though he's hopeful that will eventually change.

The NFL has already conceded that organized team activities won't take place over the spring because of social distancing. Lengthy quarantines could also prevent players from showing up to training camp later in the summer in legitimate football shape.

"There's no way to recreate a four-month offseason program in the span of (a) week or two," Sills said. "When you think about resuming something like football, everyone understands there needs to be some time to acclimatize to activity and train back to the level of physical fitness just to be able to think about more football-specific work. That's part of the timeline you have to plan for. The longer we're away from all football activity, we'll have to adjust that timeline of preparation as well."

The COVID-19 crisis has forced virtually sports league in North America to put its season on hold.

Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant took some heat on social media for posting a pic of the two playing catch on Thursday. So did Antonio Brown and Lamar Jackson.

The NFL plans to release its regular-season schedule by May 9.