The NFL is on its way to a 2020 season, but high-profile NFL players like Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks are concerned about playing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the NFL’s lack of safety protocols.
I am concerned.
My wife is pregnant.@NFL Training camp is about to start..And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. 🤷🏾
We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones. #WeWantToPlay
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 19, 2020
Russell Wilson and Ciara share 6-year-old Future Zahir (Ciara’s son with her ex, rapper Future), their 3-year-old daughter Sienna Princess Wilson, and Ciara is currently pregnant with a baby boy, which is the cause of Wilson’s concerns; along with the NFL not having a “clear plan” for “player health”. Wilson criticized the NFL on Twitter, writing: “I am concerned. My wife is pregnant. @NFL. Training camp is about to start… And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. 🤷🏾 We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones. #WeWantToPlay.”
Many other NFL stars, such as J.J. Watt, Patrick Mahomes, Richard Sherman, and Drew Brees, also took to Twitter to express their concerns and blast the NFL for not addressing the health and safety of the players, using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. J.J. Watt tweeted a list of issues the NFL has yet to address, which include the training camp acclimation period, how often players will be tested for the coronavirus, and the NFL’s plan if a player tests positive.
Once again in the interest of keeping everyone (players & fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group gets set to report to training camp tomorrow.#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/xQcjs33zgM
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 19, 2020
Patrick Mahomes wrote: “Getting ready to report this week hoping the @NFL will come to an agreement with the safe and right protocols so we can feel protected playing the sport we love #WeWantToPlay.”
Getting ready to report this week hoping the @NFL will come to agreement with the safe and right protocols so we can feel protected playing the sport we love #WeWantToPlay
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 19, 2020
Richard Sherman, who has never been shy about criticizing the NFL, blasted the NFL for not listening to the advice of medical experts. “The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations from the experts that THEY hired. We all love this game and want to go out and compete with our brothers,” wrote Sherman. “The NFL needs to provide a safe work environment for us to do that. #WeWantToPlay.”
The NFL has ignored the safety recommendations from the experts that THEY hired. We all love this game and want to go out and compete with our brothers. The NFL needs to provide a safe work environment for us to do that. #WeWantToPlay
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) July 19, 2020
Drew Brees also criticized the NFL for not following the recommendations of medical experts, saying: “We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL.”
We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) July 19, 2020
