Jason Kelce Confident in Potential Green Light
Fair or not, trustworthiness is not the first descriptor most observers will pull out of their holsters when it comes to Roger Goodell.
As the public face of what was a nearly $15 billion industry, at least before the COVID-19 pandemic took its pound of flesh from the economy, the NFL commissioner has been a lightning rod for the 32 owners, one often held to the standard of moral compass by critics rather than his true job description as the arbiter for the elite - be that the billionaire owners that employ him or the millionaire players that have to listen to him.
Maybe that’s why at least some were taken aback by Jason Kelce, one of the most cerebral of the NFL players, deferring to the league when it comes to the potential restart of football.
“It’s hard to say on the season. I’ll feel comfortable no matter what the NFL decides to do, to be honest with you,” Kelce told Philadelphia-area reporters on a conference call earlier this week.
For at least some of those who like to mix pandemics and politics like they are a gin and tonic that was likely a bit of a surprise but the three-time All-Pro center has taken the path of assuming the best in people instead of expecting the worst, the kind of optimism needed in difficult times.
“I believe that at the end of the day if the NFL is allowing 90 guys in the locker room, it’s going to be in the safe and controlled environment,” said Kelce. “I don’t think (the season) is going to happen unless that is doable.”
Listening to Kelce's discussion again, a wide-ranging talk that touched on everything from run-of-the-mill football issues to the more beefier things society is dealing with right now, the realization struck me just how smart and inciteful the 32-year-old veteran is. His position limits Kelce but if he were a quarterback he would likely be one of the faces of the NFL.
Kelce isn’t just handing his and his family’s future to Goodell, he’s a thoughtful guy who understands who this insidious virus is attacking, largely the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, not high-level professional athletes in the primes of their careers.
It’s still scary and no one wants to get sick even if it’s only flu-like symptoms for a week or two. That said, the fact that many of the men who’ve already run the cost-benefit analysis on playing perhaps the most dangerous sport of them all have decided the 2020 NFL season should move forward with some common-sense health initiatives in place should not be a surprise.
“Whether that is testing guys before they come into the building, and the testing procedures improve, or the new cases are so low at that point that there’s not a big threat going into a locker room, I think there’s a multiplicity of different factors that can shake out over the next few months, especially before the season,” said Kelce.
And he’s awaiting the green light.
“I don’t think we’ll be back at work, next to each other, and I don’t think we’ll be back at work playing and doing games unless the NFL is fully confident that it can be done in a safe manner,” he said. “So I feel comfortable the moment they give the green light.”
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
