‘I’m still holding up deuces,’ says Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs’ peace sign-waving wideout
The effects of COVID-19 on the 2020 NFL season remain to be seen. Training camp protocols and salary cap measures are unsettled; the completion of any season at all is far from guaranteed.
And then there’s the prospect of fans in the stands. The Chiefs have announced Arrowhead Stadium won’t be at full capacity in 2020, but how many will enter the gates? To be determined.
But for all of the unknown surrounding this NFL season, Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill is convinced of one certainty:
The product on the field will remain unaltered. At least in Kansas City.
“It can be in a parking lot,” Hill said. “It don’t matter. I’m still holding up deuces going for touchdowns. It don’t matter. I’m doing my thing.”
The Chiefs are currently scheduled to open their Super Bowl championship defense on Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans, previously thought to be a night they would raise a banner.
When the season starts, though, that will be a memory of the past, Hill said.
“We’ve all got one goal, and that’s to win that thing in Tampa next year (site of Super Bowl LV),” Hill said. “If the season ends because of COVID, it ends. But until then, we’re going to do our thing, and we’re going to work hard to reach that one common goal.”
The work is supposed to start over the weekend, with the Chiefs and Texans awarded first crack at training camp given their early start to the regular season. The NFL and NFLPA haven’t agreed on all of the logistics, but per the current collective bargaining agreement, players are required to report to honor their contracts. Chiefs quarterbacks and rookies are expected to report Friday.
Hill acknowledged some reservations about whether players would be required to limit contact with the outside world as they try to keep coronavirus out of the locker room, but he put faith in the NFL Players Association to negotiate regulations that made sense.
“I’m excited. I’m ready to play the game of football,” Hill said. “This is my bread and butter. This is how I take care of my family. I miss the games. I miss catching the rock. And I miss scoring touchdowns. I can’t wait.”