Malcolm Jenkinssigned a free-agency contract with the Saints in March after six seasons with the Eagles. Now, he'squestioning whether it's wise for the NFL to let hissecond stint with the franchise that drafted him Jaaron Simmons Jersey begin on schedule.
The 32-year-old safety who spent his first five NFL seasons in New Orleans after being selected by the Saints in the first round ofthe 2009 NFL Draft hired to comment on social i sues. On Thursday, he used that platform to expre s his concern with what the NFL will Jack Blomgren Jersey be a complete 2020 regular seasonamid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"The NBA's a lot different than the NFL because they can actually quarantine all their players, or whoever's going to participate," , referring to basketball's plan to resume its 2019-20 season with all games taking place in Orlando, Fla."We have over Tom Harmon Jersey 2,000 players, even more coaches and staff. We can't do that. And so we end up being on this trust system, the honor system where we just have to hope that guys are social distancing and things like that.
"And that puts all of us at risk. Not only us as players and who's in the building, but when you go home to your families. I have parents that I don't want to get sick.
"I think until we get to the point where we have protocols in place, and until we get to the place as a Cazzie Russell Jersey country where we feel safe doing it, we have to understand that football isa none sential busine s. And so we don't need to do it. So the risk has to be really eliminated before I would feel comfortable with going back."
Jenkins later clarified his stance in a video.
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">To be clear...
Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) The NFL to this point has not done much to alleviate the inevitable concerns a sociated with playing a season during a global pandemic. Like Jenkins, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has tested Taylor Lewan Jersey positive for the coronavirus but is feeling well, also is concerned about the viability of the season.
"I just feel like there's a lot of moving parts that have to be figured out," Elliott said Wednesday (). "I just don't know how they can keep the players (healthy). You gotta put the health of the players first.
"And it's not even so much, I would say, the players' health because I Juwan Howard Jersey got corona, and it really didn't affect me much. But a lot of people have kids they may have kids with asthma; they may have newborn babies; their parents or grandparents may live with them. ... We have to find ways to make sure that players and their Michael Jordan Jersey families and the coaches also and their families aren't put at risk."
Because the league was fortunate the outbreak reached the United States during its offseason, it has been proceeding with busine s as usual(albeit virtually)through the spring and now the summer. But training camps are scheduled Moritz Wagner Jersey to begin in a little more than a month, and the clock is ticking for the NFL to establish comprehensive health and safety protocols to be implemented for players, coaches and all team and league personnel.
Those protocols reportedly will be discu sed Thursday when the league and team owners conduct a conference call.Part of the plan, according to NFL Network, will be to test players for COVID-19 and isolate anybody who tests positive. NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer reportedly told player Glen Rice Jersey agents "theres a 90 percent chance reliable saliva testing (will be) available before players return to facilities."
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"Positive tests are going to happen," NFL commi sioner Roger Goodell on ESPN."The i sue is, can we obviously prevent as many of those from happening, but in addition, treat them quickly, isolate them Zavier Simpson Jersey and prevent them from directly impacting our player personnel."
Said NFLchief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills last week:"Make no mistake, . We will make adjustments as nece sary to meet the public health environment as we prepare to play the 2020 season as scheduled with increased protocols and safety measures for all players, personnel, and attendees. We will be flexible and adaptable in this environment to adjust to the virus as needed."