NFL Should Consider Postseason Bubble Environment, Saints HC Sean Payton Suggests

Saints head coach Sean Payton has suggested the league should create a postseason bubble amid the coronavirus pandemic, NFL VP of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters Wednesday. 

While the league isn't ruling out creating a playoff bubble, Vincent said, any kind of campus environment would need support from the players' union.

"We didn't use the term 'bubble,'" Vincent said, "but that 'secure environment' to make sure that there is no risk from the outside as teams start making that [playoff] drive. ... We did tell Coach Payton that it was something that both [chief medical officer Allen] Sills and the teams would explore. These are things that we just have to be flexible on."

The WNBA, NBA and NHL are currently all operating in bubble environments, with the latter two leagues in the midst of their postseasons. While MLB faced taken criticism for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and has dealt with a number of outbreaks across the league, it has also reportedly considered creating a postseason bubble.

Throughout training camp the league has tried to create what Sills has called a "virtual football bubble," consisting of strict protocols at team facilities and potential player discipline for risky behavior when away from it.

Ahead of the regular season starting in a few weeks, the NFL is considering a league-wide policy that would allow "fan sound" to be played in stadiums, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The proposed initiative comes as many NFL team stadiums will not have fans in attendance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NFL has also banned cheerleaders and mascots from the field for the 2020 season, according to NFL Network. The league's decision is the latest precaution taken under the joint NFL and NFLPA protocols.