The NFL has a full-blown COVID crisis, at a time when many have become numb to the realities of the ongoing pandemic.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, a total of 75 players have tested positive in the last two days. Seventy. Five.
It’s the highest two-day total since the pandemic began. And while it’s not nearly enough to cause the NFL to cancel games or pause the season (neither will be happening), it’s cause for concern as to where things may lead if the league doesn’t get things under control, quickly.
For now, it would make sense to revert fully and completely to the protocols of 2020, with daily testing and extensive use of masks and other personal protective equipment. While the vaccinated players may resent the termination of their preferred status, too bad. To keep the season from imploding, the league needs to go back to the way things used to be.
With the postseason looming, the league also needs to consider the possibility of putting the playoff teams in a bubble. Many players won’t like it. Those who are committed to advancing their legacies by winning a championship will deal with it.
Absent a bubble, those teams with strong player leadership (like the Buccaneers) will do whatever they can to minimize their positive cases. For all teams, avoiding an untimely COVID case could be the difference between going home early, getting to the Super Bowl, and ultimately being fitted for a big-ass ring in 2022.