NFL Players Opting Out Deserve Support

Read why "opting out" has become a viable option for NFL players in 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape of sports in 2020.

The health and safety of players has had to become the No. 1 priority for all youth, collegiate and pro sports leagues around the world.

The NFL has been no different.

The physical well-being of its players -- whether the multi-billion dollar league likes it or not -- has become the most essential element of having a season in 2020.

It's why the first thing players were required to do once they reported to their respective training camp site Tuesday was undergo COVID-19 testing.

Individuals, in fact, must test negative three times in four days before they are allowed to begin physicals and get their hands on practice facility equipment. They will, then, be subjected to daily testing for at least two weeks.

And when players leave their respective facility to return home, they will still have rules to follow, including ones that prohibit them from visiting nightclubs with more than 15 people and from taking part in religious services attended by more than 25 percent of the venue's capacity.

With the NFL planning on having a season this year, the above protocols are a must. They help ensure that the safety of the league's players is of the utmost importance.

The Lions and the NFL's 31 other franchises have taken additional measures, too.

For instance, Detroit's indoor practice facility will now hold team meetings, plexiglass has been inserted between the players' lockers, the training room has been extended into the main hallway and an outdoor tent has been installed to allow for social distancing while eating.

The @Lions shared their socially distant NFL locker room 👀 pic.twitter.com/vsL87Ht0IB

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 29, 2020

And still, there are numerous players, including Lions defensive tackle John Atkins, that have already decided to opt out from suiting up this fall. And throughout training camp, guys will continue to decide to sit out the upcoming season, and I commend them for it.

The virus is, unfortunately, still alive and well, having killed 150,000-plus Americans (150,676) as of Wednesday evening. The United States' coronavirus death count represents more than a fifth of the world's recorded deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

Additionally, according to data obtained by Johns Hopkins, in 29 states, the average number of daily deaths went up at least 10 percent when compared to the previous week.

Then, there's the fact that the NFL has chosen to not implement a bubble or even a "home market bubble" -- a concept which was suggested by Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist at Oxford College of Emory University.

According to Binney, such an approach would consist of largely isolating players and team personnel in a local hotel for the duration of the season while requiring them to undergo multiple tests per week.

It's something that Binney has gone on the record and has said could prove necessary due to the chance that there's a "second wave" of the virus in the late fall and early winter when the weather gets significantly colder and the flu season kicks into full gear.

It's a predicament that could cause the NFL season to be halted and to fail to finish.

And from the players' perspective, without a bubble, they have to constantly worry about being around teammates and other members of their respective organizations that have been exposed to the virus. And subsequently, they have to be concerned about bringing the virus back home to their family members and loved ones.  

So, it's not just the players who are at risk of contracting the virus, but also everyone that they live with and see on a daily basis due to the fact they're going back and forth between their team facilities and homes.  

As Binney conveyed to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, "'No sport should be the source of a major outbreak or a contributor to it. That's another reason it's so important to have strict protocols. Because if players get sick, and then they go home and get their families sick, and their kids go out and get other kids in school sick, and that spreads it to other families, then that becomes a huge negative on public health. That's something they would be responsible for.'"  

It's certainly still true that the NFL has made a concerted effort to ramp up its safety protocols in an effort to have a season amid the pandemic. 

However, due to the fact there will be no bubble in the cities or surrounding areas of any of the NFL's 32 franchises, it doesn't seem like the league is doing enough to ensure the safety of all of its players and employees for the entirety of the season.   

And if you're a player that shares the sentiment and feels like the league is failing to sufficiently look out for your well-being, then, you have to do so yourself.

Opting out of playing in 2020 has definitely become a viable option for such individuals.

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