The Omni is connected to Ford Center, the 12,000-seat stadium attached to the Cowboys' Frisco facilityOMNI FRISCO
A large number of Cowboys players are "forming their own training camp bubble before on-field practices start Friday," according to sources cited by Schefter & Archer of ESPN.com. A Cowboys official said that he believed the "majority of the team would be staying" at the five-star Omni Hotel that is next to the Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco in order to help protect against COVID-19. The Omni is "connected to Ford Center, the 12,000-seat stadium that is attached to the Cowboys' facility." Rookies and free agents are "already at the hotel." The Cowboys join the Saints as teams "setting up their own bubbles in their cities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19" (ESPN.com, 8/11). USA TODAY's Jori Epstein reports players are "not required to stay in the Omni, but the team will cover the cost for whichever players choose to avail themselves of the opportunity." A source said that some in the Cowboys organization have "considered extending the Omni Frisco 'bubble' through the season" (USA TODAY, 8/12).
JUST TRYING TO STAY SAFE: USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell notes the Saints secured the Loews Hotel in New Orleans "for the team’s exclusive use during camp, with players and staff having the option of staying there, with meals provided and various pandemic-conscious measures employed, rather than going home after work days at the team’s headquarters in suburban Metairie." More than two-thirds of the players "are staying in the bubble, which is pretty close to the seclusion typically built into the training camp regimen during normal times." Saints coach Sean Payton said, "It's not foolproof. I told ‘em, ‘If you need to go home and see your kids, go.’ This isn’t mandatory. Even for the staff. But at least we’re trying to reduce the possible variables that come into going home and coming back to work.” However, he added, "This isn’t like we’ve got this figured out" (USA TODAY, 8/12).
