Patrick Mahomes, Tyrann Mathieu, other NFL players express concern over training camp
The Chiefs are within a 24-hour window of beginning their Super Bowl championship defense.
But rather than celebrating the return of football, Chiefs and NFL players are expressing concern over the lack of agreements on COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
In what appears to be a joint movement, players are posting across social media requesting the NFL provide precise measures to ensure their safety as camp opens, many ending their remarks with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay.
That includes some prominent Chiefs.
“Getting ready to report this week hoping the NFL will come to agreement with the safe and right protocols so we can feel protected playing the sport we love. #WeWantToPlay,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote.
Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu issues a series of tweets.
“Listen to your players. We all want to play,” he said, later adding, “It’s not about money; it’s about health and safety.”
Chiefs and Texans rookies and quarterbacks are slated to report Monday. They get a jumpstart on the rest of the league, for they are playing in the NFL season opener three days before the remaining 30 teams play.
It’s up to the NFL whether camps start on time, and they have issued no statement implying otherwise. Meanwhile, several players across the league have accused the NFL of ignoring advice from its own medical experts.
On a conference call with media Friday, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president JC Tretter said they have not come to agreements with the league on basic items like the frequency of testing. The players would prefer to be tested daily. The response to a positive test is also still unsettled, Tretter said.
The players have also requested an acclimatization period to better prepare their bodies for the rigors of football. Falling in line with advice from medical experts, they have requested more strength and conditioning workouts before moving into padded practices.
“You’re going to have to change this year. And every thought and every idea that leans on, ‘We’ve always done it this way,’ it’s unacceptable,” said Tretter, a center for the Cleveland Browns who took over as the union president this year. “It all needs to be revamped to fit into this world of coronavirus.
“Because the expectation that you’re going to be able to fit coronavirus into football, it’s not the right expectation.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 12:14 PM.