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In a coordinated effort to persuade league officials to heed their own experts’ guidelines, some of the NFL’s top stars took to Twitter on Sunday to emphasize player safety as training camps are slated to begin this week amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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
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
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt were among the players to call for some semblance of a coronavirus-conscious policy regarding player safety and the safety of their families.
I am concerned.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 19, 2020
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
Being a champion made me realize how important team is & also how important our families are to our team success. It’s a family game. #WeWantToPlay so let’s find a way to protect us players & our families.
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) July 19, 2020
According to ESPN, Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones suggested the coordinated social media campaign during one of the players’ internal planning calls Sunday.
NFL Players Association President J.C. Tretter tweeted: “What you are seeing today is our guys standing up for each other and for the work their union leadership has done to keep everyone as safe as possible. The NFL needs to listen to our union and adopt the experts’ recommendations #wewanttoplay”
I want to play ball this year! But we are going to need the @NFL to make sure they are listening to everyone and taking the steps for the players and their families to be safe! #WeWantToPlay
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) July 19, 2020
If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. #WeWantToPlay
— Myles Garrett ⚡️ (@MylesLGarrett) July 19, 2020
You want to watch football this year? Us players need to remain healthy in order to make that happen. The @NFL needs to do their part in order to bring football back safely in 2020. #WeWantToPlay
— Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) July 19, 2020
If #AdamSilver can respect the voices and protect his @NBA players why can’t @NFLcommish do the same? Listen to your players. If we want to have a full season it will have to look different with OUR safety as the priority. @NFL make the necessary changes. #WeWantToPlay
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 19, 2020
It is disheartening to hear the NFL is unwilling to follow the recommendations of their own experts regarding player health & safety. If we want to have a FULL season the NFL needs to listen to their experts! #WeWantToPlay @NFL
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) July 19, 2020
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
Rookies are set to report to training camp July 21, followed by quarterbacks. Meanwhile, injured players report July 23 and all other players are expected by July 28, the NFL Network reported.
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
According to Bleacher Report, the league and its players’ association are still discussing protocols needed to keep team personnel safe, but no official agreement has been reached.
When you ask us to play in a pandemic, Health and safety guidelines should not be used as a bargaining chip.#WeWantToPlay
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 19, 2020
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