COVID-19: NFLPA president JC Tretter says NFL must do more to ensure player safety

While the other major sports in the United States and the rest of the world have had to make major concessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL has only been mildly impacted. NFLPA president JC Tretter wrote a scathing blog post Tuesday stating that the NFL is “unwilling to prioritize player safety and believes that the virus will bend to football."

"Every decision this year that prioritizes normalcy over innovation, custom over science or even football over health, significantly reduces our chances of completing the full season," Tretter wrote.

The NFL’s impact has affected the way the league does business. However, not one game has been canceled, and the season is still scheduled to start on time. The 2020 NFL Draft was done virtually, and free agency started on time. Sure, mini-camps and OTAs have been canceled. Teams have also not been able to work out any of their players or potential free agents and facilities were closed for months. Still, compared to the NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball, the NFL is all systems go.

The New York Jets have active in terms of their rebuild despite the pandemic. They revamped their offensive line via free agency and the draft. They added depth to both their defensive backs and wide receivers. Still, they are reportedly under the salary cap and haven’t signed any more free agents because they can’t bring a player into their facilities to evaluate due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

The NFL proposed last week cutting this year’s pre-season from four games to two. Tretter claims that in the proposal the league did not provide a medical reason for insisting on two preseason games. Reports last week said that the league wants two preseason games to evaluate rosters and to allow teams to practice the new travel protocols impacted by the pandemic. Doctors have said it is important to limit travel to only necessary trips and the preseason while beneficial, is far from necessary.

For months, it has been easy to speculate whether or not the NBA or NHL can pull off their isolation “bubbles” and complete their respective seasons.

"We don't want to merely return to work and have the season shut down before we even get started," Tretter wrote. "The NFLPA will do its part to advocate for player safety. We will continue to hold the NFL accountable and demand that the league use data, science, and the recommendations of its own medical experts to make decisions.”

While the blog post by Tretter focused on safety, the NFLPA has a financial fight on their hands as well. NFL Network reported Tuesday afternoon that, “the league proposed that 35% of player salaries be held in escrow to help manage costs during the 2020 season. Its one option on the table if revenue is impacted leaguewide by COVID-19.”

Tretter didn’t speak on the financial issue but social media immediately recalled the recent fight in baseball between owners and players where the owners claimed that the losses were so great that players would have to bear the brunt of the massive losses. That league never agreed on an updated proposal and is playing under an agreement the two sides made back in March.

The NFLPA didn’t publicly respond to the NFL and the focus of the union’s blog post was on the health and safety and how the NFL needs to take it more seriously.

“It has been clear for months that we need to find a way to fit football inside the world of coronavirus,” Tretter said in his post. “Making decisions outside that lens is both dangerous and irresponsible."