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Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard: ‘Put a Damn Mask on’

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard started a Wednesday Zoom video call with a lengthy explanation on the safety protocols put into place at the facility. And he sent a blunt message to everyone about the importance of wearing a mask amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

INDIANAPOLIS — As training camp opened with veterans reporting to the Indianapolis Colts facility, general manager Chris Ballard didn’t hesitate to fire off a zinger about how everyone can play a part in making the world safer amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s just some simple, basic things we can do, and one is wearing a mask,” Ballard said on a Wednesday Zoom video call, before pulling a mask to his face. “I don’t understand why that is such a controversy in our country right now. Put a damn mask on. Why is that so hard? It’s not about you. It’s about everybody else. And we will do that within the building.”

The lengthy 37-minute chat with the media started with Ballard speaking for eight minutes about how the organization has prepared for two months by instituting various protocols to ensure safety. He reassured the media need not be apprehensive about visiting the complex, too.

That said, Ballard conceded the obvious, that there’s a fluid, unknown factor to what everyone in the NFL is doing right now. Who can tell how COVID-19 could change the game, perhaps even before they start. All preseason games have been canceled and the Colts are scheduled to open the regular season on Sept. 13 at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It’s going to be a very interesting year,” Ballard said.

The Colts have appointed head trainer Dave Hammer, who has been with the organization for 34 years, to the position of infectious control officer. He has overseen every aspect of the team instituting NFL-mandated protocols and guidelines at the facility.

Ballard considers four areas “critical” to how the Colts do what they can to ensure safety: testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and sanitizing as well as wearing a mask.

“All of these things we are doing, and we’re going to do ‘em at a high level,” Ballard said.

Contact tracing is key because it’s imperative to know who an infected person has been in contact with before being diagnosed. Ballard said everyone will be expected to wear a mask in the building.

“Now saying that, we’re going to expect bumps along the road,” he said. “We’re in unknown territory. Each and every day is a new day. Every day, we’re going to learn something new, each and every day, and we’re going to have to adjust on the fly. Because if you don’t, then you could have problems. So we’ve got to be pretty nimble on our feet and also nimble mentally to be able to see and adjust to anything that happens.

“But saying that, we feel good about where we’re at. We feel good about where we’re going. And we’ll get ready to start training and get a football team ready to play, and one we think has a chance to do some really good things.”

The Colts placed two young reserves, wide receiver Malik Henry and cornerback Jackson Porter, on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, according to the league’s transaction wire. The classification signifies the players had a positive test for the Coronavirus or have been quarantined because they were in close contact with someone infected with this disease.

Based on NFL protocol, any team must place a player who falls into either of those categories on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which can be short-term. Teams are not permitted to discuss those players and why they were placed on the list.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)