Mara said he never would have believed that the NFL would get back so few positive testsGETTY IMAGES
NFL Giants President & CEO John Mara is "still not sure all 256 regular-season games will happen," but said that the NFL will "play a relatively full schedule," according to Tom Rock of NEWSDAY. After a month of training camps and low positive test results throughout the league, Mara said, "I am definitely more confident now. Given the way the protocols have worked so far and given the very low rate of positive tests." He continued, "Time will tell, but I think the players and staffs have done a great job of being responsible and our testing results so far have been terrific. I never would have believed that we would get back so few positive tests." Rock notes the Giants are one of the league’s teams that will not have any fans for their home games. Mara did say he is "hopeful at some point we can have them back in," but added, "I'm not overly optimistic about that." He admitted that he has had conversations with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy about the "possibility of opening MetLife Stadium to the public later this season" (NEWSDAY, 9/4). Mara granted that "certain areas of the country are going to be a little more liberal about letting people in the building," so the Giants will play in some road buildings where there are opposing fans. He said, though, that it is "just something that we’re going to have to accept" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/4).
WITH HIS PLAYERS: In N.Y., Ryan Dunleavy notes Mara is "standing with Giants players who protest racism and social injustice," including any who choose to "kneel during the national anthem when games start." He explained, "My preference is that everybody stand. But if you decide in your conscience that kneeling is the right thing to do, I’m going to support your right to do that because I believe in the First Amendment." Mara said that he "plans to discuss the hot-button issue with the team sometime before Week 1." Meanwhile, Dunleavy reports as part of the "newly launched #TogetherBlue campaign, the Giants are partnering with nine local organizations to address areas such as poverty, homelessness, education, substance abuse, criminal justice and police-community relations." Mara said, "What makes it easy for me to (support them) is when I see how much work they are doing in the community and how important what is going on in this country is to each of them. They back it up with actions, not just words. Our players are very engaged in working in a lot of different areas" (N.Y. POST, 9/4).
SHIFTING TIDES: On Long Island, Bob Glauber notes Mara is "part of a growing movement among NFL owners to more publicly support player initiatives aimed at drawing attention to social justice issues and police brutality problems that have led to protests around the country." NFL owners "initially were mostly silent on the matter, in part because they feared fan backlash was threatening the sport’s popularity and negatively impacting revenue." Mara has "for years been conflicted in trying to balance the needs of his players to express their feelings about social injustice while listening to fans who had expressed anger over players who took a knee and, in many cases, stopped following the NFL altogether." But that dilemma is "far less problematic for Mara now" (NEWSDAY, 9/4).
