NFLPA Announces Jaguars, All Other Teams Have Submitted IDER Plan
The Jacksonville Jaguars have submitted their Infectious Disease Emergency Response plan to the NFL Player's Association and are currently awaiting approval, per a release by the NFLPA on Wednesday.
All 32 teams were asked for—and have submitted—their proposals. These are contingency plans each franchise has for infectious diseases, but all have required updating to include a COVID-19 response. They can differ from franchise to franchise depending on state and local guidelines and mandates.
For example, within the state of Florida, the cities of Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa (all NFL towns) have varying mask mandates. In the absence of a nationwide standard, each franchise is being asked to craft an IDER plan to best protect their players within their city.
As part of the initial reopening plan in May, the Jaguars appointed Head Athletic Trainer Scott Trulock as the team’s newly-appointed Infection Control Officer. The Jags also established an Infectious Response Team (IRT) and in a statement explained the IRT, "consists of team leadership, medical personnel and employees from the security, operations and legal departments." It is led by Head Team Physician Kevin Kaplan, Team Internist Mike Yorio and Infectious Disease Physician Ken Meyer.
In a statement addressing their COVID-19 testing procedures, the NFLPA said:
"Our union has been pushing for the strongest testing, tracing and treatment protocols to keep our players safe. The testing protocols we agreed to are one critical factor that will help us return to work safely and gives us the best chance to play and finish the season."
Of the 32 plans submitted, only eight have been approved thus far: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins. The remaining plans, including that from the Jaguars, are still being reviewed.
On Friday, July 17 the NFLPA, following CDC guidelines, updated their "symptom-based criteria" as follows:
- Changed from “at least 72 hours” to “at least 24 hours” have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications
- Changed from “improvement in respiratory symptoms” to “improvement in symptoms” to address expanding list of symptoms associated with COVID-19
In a recent column, NFLPA President JC Tretter addressed the COVID-19 testing protocols and what he called "common narratives" that would arise as players and the union demanded certain protections from the teams. Among the issues addressed by Tretter was balancing the health of seemingly healthy players versus a desire to have football return.
"Underlying conditions like high BMI, asthma and sleep apnea are all associated with a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and complications when infected with COVID-19," wrote Tretter.
"Those conditions are widespread across the league. NFL players are humans -- some with immuno-compromised family members or live-in elderly parents. Trust me: we want to play football. But as a union, our most important job is keep our players safe and alive. The NFLPA will fight for our most at-risk players and their families."
