Will Giving NFL Players Choice to Opt-Out on 2020 Backfire?
Just two weeks before NFL teams are expected to report to facilities for training camp, there’s an unknown factor that could dramatically impact the season.
The NFL and NFL Players Association are expected to approve a measure that will allow players the choice to opt-out of the 2020 season for safety reasons.
The league is currently reviewing a helmet visor design that in theory would decrease the likelihood of spreading COVID-19.
The initial reaction is that a few players would decide to sit out, but not so fast. Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt candidly expressed his opposition to wearing a mask in an interview with Pro Football Talk last week.
“My second year in the league I thought it’d be cool, I put a visor on my helmet,” Watt said. “I was like, ‘It looks so cool, I wanna put a visor on.’ I had it on for about three periods of practice and I said, ‘Take this sucker off. I’m gonna die out here.’
"So now you’re gonna put something around my mouth? You can keep that. If that comes into play, I don’t think you’re gonna see me on the field.”
Watt and other players can’t be faulted for putting their safety first, whether it’s wearing a mask or accepting the risk of playing and traveling. Younger players who need to make a name for themselves and are dependent upon those paychecks might be more inclined to play no matter what whereas veteran players with money in the bank might be more inclined to play it safe.
But Watt’s comment brings up another issue.
The players are at odds with the league on a proposal to reduce salaries by 35 percent. There are other sticking points that have yet to be resolved.
If the NFL proceeds with certain rules and stipulations that the players don’t accept, the “opt-out” choice can be used as much as a means for protest as wanting to stay safe.
Another part of the plan stipulates players must make an opt-out decision by a certain date. What about that sounds fair?
Let’s say a small percentage of players opt-out, then the season begins and there’s an outbreak on a team or teams. If that happens, it’s fair to expect several players will want to stop, so how can they be told, “Sorry, too late.”
Coronavirus cases are increasing in most states, and infectious disease doctors have continually reminded that there’s a likelihood for an increase in September during the cold/flu season. That’s the same time this season is to begin.
It’s unfair to demand the players have a crystal fall and take it on a leap of faith that they will be safe when doctors have yet to develop a vaccine and cases are still on the rise.
The only way players can send a stern message that they are opposed to playing with such uncertainty is for them to stand together in opposition. But what’s the likelihood of that happening?
Again, some players need the paycheck and don’t want to disappoint teammates by sitting out. Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Lane Johnson recently said he will play but admits everyone is “playing it by ear.”
It should be noted that several Major League Baseball and NBA players have decided to opt-out on their seasons, so regardless of what transpires in the near future, expect several NFL players to do the same.
Question is, will the continual increase of Coronavirus cases prompt more players to play it safe? And will the progress or lack thereof of negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA also impact how many players opt-out?
(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.)
