Pete Carroll: NFL Should 'Take Action' Against Teams Violating COVID-19 Protocols

Carroll has been forthcoming about the discipline required to play an NFL season during a pandemic, and while he doesn't have the answers for how teams that break COVID-19 protocols should be punished, he believes the league must make an example of them.

RENTON, WA - Just one month into the 2020 regular season, the NFL finds itself at a crossroads trying to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, as several teams have had players test positive for the virus over the past two weeks.

Specifically, the Titans have been hit by a rash of positive test results, with two additional players testing positive on Thursday morning. At the time of this article, 22 Tennessee players and staff members reportedly have contracted the coronavirus.

Making matters worse, long-time Titans beat reporter Paul Kuharsky reported the Titans broke NFL protocols with a group of players holding a practice one day after the team's facility was shut down by the league. This came on the heels of a directive from the NFL not to hold such practices or workouts.

A separate report indicates Tennessee is being investigated by league for mask usage violations at the team facility as well as players failing to report symptoms.

As a result, after already having their Week 4 game with the Steelers postponed and schedules thrown awry, the team's next game against the Bills on Sunday is now in jeopardy. There's minimal flexibility to reschedule, which has left some coaches and general managers pushing for loss of draft picks or even forfeiture of games as a punishment for the Titans egregious protocol violations.

When I asked him about his opinion on how the NFL should punish the Titans and other teams who aren't following procedures, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll replied "that's really league business," but he believes the league must do something.

“The league doesn’t want teams to find a way to get ahead of another team and they’re trying to keep the competitive playing level equal," Carroll responded. "If guys aren’t, if teams aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, then you gotta do something. And I don’t know what’s appropriate right now, we’re in kind of new territory right here. Sometimes you get fined and you got to pay it and sometimes you get docked something you got to give it up. So I don’t have a good thought for how you would balance that out and where you should go."

Only a few short weeks ago, Carroll himself was fined $100,000 for not wearing a face covering for long stretches of a Week 2 matchup against the Patriots. Other coaches such as Jon Gruden of the Raiders have been hit with fines, while Sean McVay of the Rams received a harsh warning from the league office for not adhering to mask wearing rules.

While Carroll doesn't know what the adequate punishment would be and remains focused on the Seahawks avoiding a similar pitfall, he believes the NFL must step up and make an example of teams such as the Titans that blatantly disregard critical COVID-19 protocols and put other teams at risk.

"It’s really not my discussion, but we’re going to try to do everything right so we don’t have to even face that issue, of course. But the league, you’ve got to expect the league to take action. They’re trying to keep a level playing field and that’s really a big issue for the league and so that’s how they’re going to go about it, and that’s how they’re doing it.”