Dr. Sanjay Gupta Tweets About Conversation With Dr. Anthony Fauci Regarding Feasibility Of Football

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been the face of the coverage of COVID-19 for CNN and he sent out tweets summing up a conversation he had with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, about the feasibility of football this season.

Some of the things they bring up are conversations that coaches at every level of the game are having in terms of what might need to happen in order to have a season this year.

He said, “Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall…. (2/4)
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) June 18, 2020

The concept of a bubble seems relatively easy to do as far as training camp is concerned. It's not ideal, but much of camp is in a bubble anyway with players often living in an isolated environment for a few weeks. The challenge for players is not being able to leave or have family visit on certain days that they would normally be allowed in a normal football season.

There is already talk about potentially cancelling a few preseason games, which would only make it easier to maintain the integrity of that bubble. The NBA is dealing with this issue as far as players pushing back at the loss of freedom over an extended period of time and while this is shorter, it's nevertheless an issue that could arise from players.

….If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.” That’s what he told me. (3/4)
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) June 18, 2020

Inevitably, the NFL would require travel, which takes a team out of a controlled environment, potentially exposing them to infection. Players have been testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks by virtue of being out in the real world.

….If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.” That’s what he told me. (3/4)
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) June 18, 2020

And as states that haven't really had COVID-19 work through their states are dealing with dramatic spikes in infections, they discuss the possibility of that second wave and the wildcard element that introduces to everything, football or otherwise.

I hope that’s not the case, but if football does come back this fall, it will likely look very different. For example: possible modified face masks embedded in players helmets, single-use hydration containers and physical distancing + masks on the sidelines. (4/4)
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) June 18, 2020

The last element that is brought up is the concept of a modified face mask, which could be tricky to pull off for a few reasons. As much it seems simple enough to just wrap a layer of breathable cloth or a face shield on the helmet, somehow the players need to be able to breathe effectively as well as ventilate heat.

The amount of players, particularly linemen who figure out how impractical just putting a face shield in their helmet is, because it fogs up, adding a lower part to that would be even worse and keep more heat trapped inside the helmet. In southern states in particular, that's turning the helmet into an oven and could dramatically increase the risk for things like heat stroke.

The one potential saving grace for football is the mouthpiece. Data suggests the virus is transferred by spittle as opposed to sweat and with players wearing mouthpieces, it's less likely for spittle to come out of their mouth and potentially land on another person.

That's a much different equation for basketball where players are face to face and aren't wearing mouthguards, making it far more likely for spittle to transfer from one person to another.

There have been all kinds of facemask prototypes thrown around, but the NFL nor the NFLPA has commented on any of them, save for the fact that NFLPA President J.C. Tretter has noted he's aware of them. Whether it's going to be a free for all or there's going to be one that the union sees as the best remains to be seen.

There are still a few months until football starts in earnest where this can be a real issue, but it's certainly something all parties are looking into as the pandemic's outlook changes on an almost daily basis.

The NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Stills responded to what Dr. Fauci discussed, acknowledging the challenges for the NFL and noting that the league's flexibility.

NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills issued these comments in response to Dr. Anthony Fauci expressing concern about the upcoming season: pic.twitter.com/8YXrpzKIXS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 18, 2020