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Disagreements between the NFL and the players union went public Tuesday when NFLPA president JC Tretter wrote a blog post criticizing the league for prioritizing the preseason schedule and training camp over “player safety.”
Tretter revealed that the NFL had previously agreed to suggestions made by the joint ocmmittee of doctors to take certain precautionary measures, like no joint practices and no fans at training camp, to ensure that players would be able to play out the full season but the league was “unwilling to follow the … recommendation of a 48-day training camp schedule,” which would mean no preseason.
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“Despite these experts’ assessment that teams face a serious risk of player-injury spikes this year (based on past NFL data and recent findings from sports leagues that have already returned to play this year), the NFL is unwilling to prioritize player safety and believes that the virus will bend to football,” Tretter wrote.
The union’s board of player representatives voted last week to ask the NFL to cancel the entire preseason schedule after the league reportedly agreed to cutting the schedule from four games to two and push back the start of exhibition play so teams have more time to train.
“The NFL has recently stated it wants to play two preseason games,” Tretter confirmed.
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“When we asked for a medical reason to play games that don’t count in the standings during an ongoing pandemic, the NFL failed to provide one. The league did provide a football reason, though -- to evaluate rosters. The NFL also stated that it was important to stage preseason games to check how our game protocols will work.”
He continued: “We will continue to hold the NFL accountable and demand that the league use data, science and the recommendations of its own medical experts to make decisions. It has been clear for months that we need to find a way to fit football inside the world of coronavirus. Making decisions outside that lens is both dangerous and irresponsible.”
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A public dispute between the league and the players union could spell trouble for the NFL. MLB found itself in a similar situation last month over the schedule length.