The NFL has released some new guidelines for players to follow for extra precaution while playing during the coronavirus pandemic. One that received a lot of attention from players was the post-game interactions.
Players won’t be able to go talk with the other team after the game. They must stay six feet apart, which means no jersey swaps.
“This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell,” star 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman tweeted Thursday morning, “Players can go engage in a full-contact game and do it safely. However, it is deemed unsafe for them to exchange jerseys after said game.”
Apparently, these rules are not yet set in stone. They have not been approved by the league or the NFLPA. So, it is possible that they are changed before the start of the season.
Several players, including Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, took to Twitter to express how ridiculous they thought these new rules were.
Other Rules
Like many of these players discussed, they will be out there doing the exact opposite of social distancing during a game. It seems a lot of these rules are just for show. It’s hard to believe that any of these guidelines would prevent the spread with everything else going on.
They announced that coaches and players wouldn’t have to wear masks on the sidelines, but all other personnel would.
Anyone with bench access will be screened before the game. If they have a temperature, they will not be allowed to enter the game.
All of these rules will be put into place starting with the preseason if they are agreed to. But they can also change over time as more data and science becomes available.
Face Shields for Players?
One potential protocol that has been discussed is the use of face shields for the players. This would basically be a visor that all players would have to wear.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said that this would be a problem for him if they require this. He would even consider sitting out for the season if he had to wear one to play.
“My second year in the league, I thought it’d be cool, I put a visor on my helmet,” Watt said Wednesday. “I was like, ‘It looks so cool, I wanna put a visor on.’ I had it on for about three periods of practice, and I said, ‘Take this sucker off. I’m gonna die out here.’
“So now you’re gonna put something around my mouth? You can keep that. If that comes into play, I don’t think you’re gonna see me on the field.”
He was one of the only ones so far to speak out about this, but he won’t be the last if it is discussed further. It’s not at the point of making this rule yet, but as the potential “second wave” hits, some additional precautions for the NFL could be in effect.
