Bakhtiari, Adams: ‘We Want to Play’ But NFL Must Do Its Part
GREEN BAY, Wis. – “We want to play.”
That was the social-media message posted by Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari and scores of other NFL players on Sunday ahead of the start of NFL training camps.
Rookies are set to report to camp on Tuesday, with veterans a week later on July 28. However, safety remains a concern as the NFL will attempt to play a season during a pandemic.
“We want to play,” Bakhtiari said on Twitter. “We want to be a beacon of light during these tough times. All we ask is for the @NFL to listen and cooperate with the doctors and scientist to collectively come up with a health and safety plan with the @NFLPA so the players can do what we love. #WeWantToPlay.”
Receiver Davante Adams implored the NFL to "handle this properly."
Packers linebacker Christian Kirksey joined the NFL masses in the social-media onslaught.
Chimed in fellow linebacker Oren Burks:
With training camp approaching quickly, the players and the league have not agreed on exactly how to make it happen while keeping the players and their families safe.
Moreover, after losing offseason workouts due to the pandemic, the players want to be eased back into football. That means a three-week “acclimation” period before they put on helmets, and then another three weeks before a game. That would mean no preseason games. The NFL, which already had agreed to cut the preseason from four games to two, proposed a one-game preseason on Monday.
“The @NFL has disregarded the recommendations of their OWN health & safety committees,” former Packers receiver Randall Cobb, who signed with Houston during the offseason, wrote. “We have continued asking questions and have YET to receive any definitive answers. #WeWantToPlay but we also want to keep our families safe.”
The NFL sent a memo to all 32 clubs Saturday confirming that rookies will report to camp on July 21. Quarterbacks and injured players are set to arrive on July 23, while all other players will report on July 28. (The Chiefs and Texans, who are scheduled to start the season on Thursday, Sept. 10, rather than Sunday, Sept. 13, have a slightly different schedule.)
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes were among the powerful group of players calling for the NFL to take action. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson mentioned his concern for his pregnant wife.
Speaking in a conference call on Friday, NFLPA President J.C. Tretter – a center with Cleveland who was drafted by Green Bay – noted that with some states experiencing soaring numbers in positive COVID-19 cases, that the players would feel more at ease if daily testing was part of the workplace conditions.
“We believe that daily testing is important, especially given some of these hotspots, and we don't right now plan on changing in that position,” Tretter said. “It doesn't mean that we won't continue to talk about it, but we were clear about our belief that daily testing is going to be necessary.”
The Packers announced on Wednesday that they will not allow fans to attend training camp practices, Family Night or any home preseason games due to the pandemic.
“The tremendous support of cheering fans at Lambeau Field motivates all of us in the Packers organization,” Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. “But after consulting with local health officials and reviewing league and CDC guidelines, we felt we needed to make this difficult decision. We will miss seeing so many of our fans, particularly the young ones, during this exciting time of year. We will continue to work on the protocols and logistics in the hope that we can welcome fans back to Lambeau Field for the regular season without jeopardizing the health of our players, team personnel and fans.”
