My Monthly Sports Minute: Sports and COVID-19

So, you mean to tell me, you can tackle, breathe, sweat, spit, and grab on a person for three hours, but you can’t exchange jerseys after the game? You can’t congregate with other players after the game?

If COVID is going to be transmitted to NFL players, it’s not going to be because of jersey exchanges. It’s going to happen within those three hours of playing. Let’s be honest, we are not going to have football this fall unless they don’t adopt a bubble similar to the NBA (which isn’t guaranteed to even work.)

Some of us are looking forward to our favorite NFL team taking the field with a new QB (it’s me- I’m us- WHAT UP CAM! *Dabs like its 2015*). To be clear, I don’t think the NFL should proceed. For whatever reason, doubters of COVID believe the only thing that is important is the survival rate. What they are ignoring is the long-term effects of this disease, which we are uncovering with each survival. There are some who believe these world class athletes, who are in top shape, should have no fear. They could survive, but they could very well end up having to retire — due to respiratory issues.

It sounds like NFL executives are ignoring all science, and that’s even with teams having some of the best doctors in the United States. There is no reason to believe that the league will take care of NFL players who suffer from the long-term effects of COVID. The NFLPA needs to ensure their players get their money either way. But what about the players on one year deals? It’s a lot to sort through, which is why it is in their best interest to not proceed.

— Bobby Elam