The NFLPA has outlined some of their concerns regarding returning to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic during a Friday conference call and said that they also shared them with NFL team doctors during another call on Thursday.
Among the topics discussed were the surge in cases in many areas that are homes to NFL teams and whether it is safe to open up training camps given the current numbers. Texans rookies are set to report in the next few days and Houston is one place where cases have been steadily rising of late.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said that the team doctors had “a couple reservations” about resuming work right now, but that they provided medical reasons” why their overall opinion is that it is safe to move forward at the moment.
Given the doctors’ status as team employees, it’s reasonable to assume that some will be skeptical of that finding. As Smith noted, however, the teams “own the plant” and “control the hours” so their belief that camp should open as scheduled carries plenty of weight. Smith added later in the call that the union has “looked at all of our options” in the event they believe the league is not operating in a safe manner.
