The NFL hasn’t found any evidence that players can contract coronavirus playing football.
The NFL has had very limited issues at this point in the season when it comes to playing football during the coronavirus pandemic. A few games have been derailed because of positive tests, but overall, Roger Goodell and company have done a great job. Now, the top medical man in the league says there’s no proof at all that playing football elevates your risk of catching coronavirus. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
11.9 MMQB!
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson won from a halftime deficit for the first time—”That was very important to me.” Also …
???? The @MiamiDolphins‘ revival.
???? Dr. Sills’ mid-year COVID-19 report.
???? Joe Judge on Tate, his @Giants.
???? @Saints D.
???? MORE!https://t.co/JwIitCLzsp— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 9, 2020
The league’s chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills told Albert Breer the following about the virus:
We have seen zero evidence of transmission player-to-player on the field, either during games or practices, which I think is an important and powerful statement. And it also confirms what other sports leagues have found around the world. We regularly communicate with World Rugby, Australian rules football, European soccer leagues. To date, no one has documented a case of player-to-player transmission in a field sporting environment. Obviously, I don’t think we’re at the point where we’d say it cannot occur, but none of us have seen yet, and that’s certainly encouraging.
This is honestly the best news we’ve had in a long time when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Remember back in the summer when the idiots in the media and the fearmongers and social media claimed we couldn’t play sports during the pandemic? Remember all the people who tried to cancel football during the coronavirus pandemic? I remember.
I said it was an insane take back then, and I believe that more than ever now. I’m not a medical expert, but it seems unlikely you can give someone a virus in a sport where you’re doing your best to avoid people from tackling you.
Now, that’s not to say you can’t get it in the locker room or from spending time with your teammates. That’s a different story.
“We feel confident that we have a handle on the situation and are excited to play this week at Michigan.”
– UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarezhttps://t.co/s7aad5Id0L pic.twitter.com/GacypOpvPi— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 9, 2020
However, the idea you can pass coronavirus by tackling somebody is laughably dumb. I didn’t believe it back then, and I don’t believe it now.
As Sills pointed out, it would appear that science is on my side.
Despite what some people might want you to believe, it’s okay to play sports, and we don’t have to hide in our basements forever.
Should we be safe and take precautions? Sure, but there’s no reason I can find as to why we can’t play football, basketball or any other sport.