On Sunday, many of the NFL’s most prominent players coordinated the biggest Twitter blast we’ve ever seen to send a pointed message to the league. The message was simple: We want to play, but you have to make it safe.
After the dust settled, Dan Graziano of ESPN shared that he was told the idea was first suggested by Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones.
The coordinated effort appears to have worked beautifully.
NFL agrees to test players for COVID-19 daily
On Monday, news broke that the NFL has agreed to daily COVID-19 tests for at least the first two weeks of training camp. That was one of the biggest issues the players had with the league’s health and safety plan. They fought like crazy to get daily testing, and now they have it.
Even better, following that news reports poured in from NFL insiders that the two sides have now agreed on all seven of the major components for the health and safety of the players.
However, big issues continue to linger, as noted by Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
NFL players want the league to cancel the preseason, among other things
The NFL has reportedly offered to cut the preseason down to just one game. If the players accept that proposal, then that game would be played the week of August 27 — normally the third week on the preseason schedule.
Players want zero preseason games, however. Additionally, they want the league to allow a 21-day acclimation period for strength and conditioning to mitigate potential injuries after such a long layoff. All told, the NFLPA has requested a 48-day training camp before the start of the regular season in the second week of September.
Then there’s the big issue of money. The NFLPA projects that every team may be down as much as $70 million in salary cap next season. This is due to projected lost revenue because there is an expectation that fans won’t be allowed in stadiums, or at the least that they will be significantly reduced. Already, some teams have announced they will open the season without fans in attendance.
So, there are still significant issues to hammer out. But right now, things are looking up.