The NFL and NBA are changing their Covid-19 protocols as cases rise
On Thursday, the National Football League and NFL Players Association agreed to new rules that place the league’s 32 teams in restrictive protocols until Monday. It follows nearly a doubling of Covid-19 cases among players earlier this week.
It will require increased testing from December 26 to January 8, and masks will be required for players, coaches and staff on the bench, as well as in the locker room, weight room and training room and while traveling with the teams, according to the memo.
Wojnarowski, citing the memo, also reported that if a player received a booster shot more than two weeks ago, “he will not be subject to holiday or gameday testing.”
CNN has reached out to the NBA and the players association for comment.
The rise in cases has already caused headaches for teams across professional sports.
While the NFL has not postponed or canceled any games, several teams lost key players placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list. The NBA has so far postponed two games while the pandemic has led the National Hockey League to postpone 10 games so far.
On Thursday an NHL game in Montreal was played with no fans in attendance.
The Canadiens organization said Quebec officials made the request based on “the spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases in the region.”
The team said games in January will be played with the arena at 50% capacity.
Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in the United States are rising once again, with a seven-day average of 118,717 new cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That’s 40% higher than a month ago.
Disquiet among players
An NFL source told CNN that 28 NFL players tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday and there were 37 positive tests among players on Monday.
The two-day total is more than double the 29 positive tests from players between November 14 — 27, the last publicly released testing data from the NFL.
CNN has reached out to the league for an updated number of positive cases.
Under the new NFL protocol, teams will have to reimpose restrictions such as mandatory mask-wearing while indoors in team facilities, social distancing, grab-and-go meal service in team cafeterias, limits on the number of people allowed in weight rooms, restrictions on activities outside the facility including dining out to eat on the road and all-virtual meetings.
And at least one player isn’t at all pleased. Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of more than a dozen Browns on the reserve/Covid-19 list, spoke out ahead of his team’s scheduled game on Saturday versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
In another tweet, Mayfield wrote, “Actually caring about player safety would mean delaying the game with this continuing at the rate it is.”
The Browns are scheduled to play the Las Vegas Raiders in Cleveland on Saturday.
CNN has asked the Browns for an updated number of players on the reserve/Covid-19 list. As of Wednesday, there were 14 players but it was unclear whether all the…
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