49ers relocated to Arizona after Santa Clara County issued a temporary ban on contact sportsGETTY IMAGES
The NFL "believes its protocols and transparent communication" with state and local governments "will help the league complete its season in the hypothetical worst-case scenario of a second coronavirus shutdown impacting states this holiday season," according to Pat Leonard of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The league said that it has "contingency plans in place for teams ... to play elsewhere if a state shut down mandated that stadiums be empty, too." First and foremost, the NFL "will follow the directives given by each state or local government and public health officials." But listening to NFL Exec VP/Communications, Public Affairs and Policy Jeff Miller yesterday, the league "seems confident that its partnerships with these governing bodies will help the NFL complete its season even if a shutdown impacts more franchises soon." Leonard notes the 49ers had to relocate to Glendale to complete their regular season after Santa Clara County announced a temporary ban on contact sports in late November, so the NFL "already has encountered this roadblock once this season." Still, it is "not immediately clear what the NFL’s contingency plan would entail" if the Giants "couldn’t play games at MetLife Stadium" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/10).
LEAGUE HAPPY WITH COWBOYS-RAVENS PROTOCOLS: The NFL yesterday insisted that it "did not cut any corners with contact tracing" after learning that Ravens WR Dez Bryant had tested positive for coronavirus a half hour before kickoff against the Cowboys on Tuesday night. ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley noted Bryant was "on the field participating in individual warm-ups about an hour before the Ravens were notified of his inconclusive test result." By that point, Bryant was "seen hugging and talking with players, including former teammates with the Cowboys, without wearing a mask." But the NFL "did not identify any high-risk close contacts after interviewing Bryant as well as other club personnel and reviewing data from his contact-proximity tracker." NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills said that the fact that a decision was made "so quickly on close contacts was a reflection of the league's intensive protocol and the 'tremendous job' the Ravens have done with compliance around their facility leading up to the game." Sills "doesn't believe Bryant's positive test is linked to the other outbreak" (ESPN.com, 12/9). In Baltimore, Jonas Shaffer writes the Bryant incident was "one of this season’s most bizarre scenes." The results "surprised not only Bryant," but also a Ravens team that "had moved past a debilitating outbreak" (BALTIMORE SUN, 12/10).
WHEN IS IT ENOUGH? In L.A., LZ Granderson writes under the header, “Who In The NFL Will Have The Courage To Say COVID’s Spread Has Gone Too Far?” The NFL offers a “mirror for society to take a good hard look at itself and once again we’ve demonstrated that we’d rather not.” Granderson: “Why should a public health crisis, even the most deadly of our lifetimes, be any different?” Most people and organizations, including the NFL, are “doing the best we can during an unprecedented time." Considering the “transmission rate is lower for the league than outside of it," Commissioner Roger Goodell and company "merit some praise.” Granderson: “But we see the trouble brewing, don’t we? The growing number of closed-down facilities, games shuffled further back forcing other games to be shuffled back, players pulled before kickoff. Even if the season pushes through without cancellations, will it come without greater consequences, short-term ones like hospitalizations and longer-term ones such as myocarditis?” (L.A. TIMES, 12/10).
