Sports world rips NFL for absurd COVID-19 safety guidelines

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson

Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

As uncertainty hangs over the 2020 NFL season, the league has come under rampant criticism from players, coaches and executives for the league’s COVID-19 safety guidelines.

The criticism turned into mockery on Thursday when the NFL revealed a series of new safety guidelines for the upcoming season, which included banning jersey swaps and handshakes after the game.

NFL teams will be forbidden from postgame interactions within 6 feet of each other and jersey exchanges between players will be prohibited during the 2020 season, sources say.

Another way the NFL will look different in the COVID-19 world.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 9, 2020

Other game day protocols: Coaches and players won’t be required to wear masks on the sidelines. Everyone else in the bench does have to wear a mask. https://t.co/ovKPcCwaD9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 9, 2020

At a time when many coaches and NFL stars are worried about the dangers of the coronavirus spreading during the season, the league’s proposals seemed to miss the problem entirely.

Despite the risks of the virus spreading in a contact sport where players are hitting each other and grabbing one another’s jerseys for hours, the NFL focused on postgame interactions.

As you might expect, the sports world immediately mocked and ripped the NFL’s absurd COVID-19 guidelines.

😂😂😂😂 Cmon man. I know I just TACKLED you 3 mins ago but I’m gonna have to mail you my jersey. https://t.co/UiCFLoewiT
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) July 9, 2020

allowing a 60-minute full contact football game but saying you’re taking precautions because you ban handshakes and jersey swaps is like eating 34 wings and then eating 2 pieces of celery and saying it was a healthy meal because you ate vegetables https://t.co/yOIlBKY4iu
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) July 9, 2020

This is a perfect example of NFL thinking in a nutshell. 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. 😂🤣😂 https://t.co/fWefsUSVDc
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) July 9, 2020

Can’t get Covid if you don’t swap jerseys post game https://t.co/sWSYU3tnqm pic.twitter.com/9aqNZQHbG7
— Cookie Expert (@JeffAllen71) July 9, 2020

22-player goal-line mosh pits 👍🏻
Tackles that feel like car crashes 👍🏻
Hugs 👎🏻 https://t.co/y2WRgX6Ba7
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) July 9, 2020

Offensive and defensive linemen launch into each other, face-to-face, 75x per game. Players block and tackle each other for a living. But social distancing afterward will fix everything… https://t.co/lc4aiHLtBI
— Steve Berman (@BASportsGuy) July 9, 2020

I, for one, feel relieved that the NFL isn't allowing players to exchange jerseys after 60 minutes of touching each other's jerseys.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) July 9, 2020

These dudes are going to beat the sh*t out of each other for around three hours and the thing that will stop the virus is not shaking hands after the game.https://t.co/fClsZqXHhz
— Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) July 9, 2020

So Von Miller can spend four quarters trying like crazy to sack Patrick Mahomes, but can't exchange jerseys with him after the game. Got it. https://t.co/KXMrSky1zv
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 9, 2020