Despite the coronavirus pandemic still going on, sports are starting to come back. NASCAR has been back for a month, the NHL and NBA are on track to resume their seasons in July, and MLB is working towards a season.
The NFL is planning to start its season on time on Sept. 10. However, with the fear of a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday there might not be football this year. Fauci serves as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the coronavirus task force.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble—insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day—it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall. If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year,” Fauci told CNN.
Dr. Allen Sils, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said in a statement, “We are developing a comprehensive and rapid-result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a shared responsibility from everyone inside our football ecosystem. This is based on the collective guidance of public health officials, including the White House task force, the CDC, infectious disease experts, and other sports leagues.“
Earlier this week, Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott both tested positive.
If the NFL season were to happen, they could do something similar to the NBA and play all of their games in one location.
The NFL Players Association already told its members that they would be tested for COVID-19 every three days and would be isolated if they tested positive, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
With the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus in the fall, the NFL season is in doubt.
