Covid-19 causing cancellations and fines throughout NFL

Fabiola Candal Ranalli
Staff Writer/MC301

The current NFL season started on the right foot regarding Covid-19 infections. However, from the start to the actual date many cases of infected players and staff have been released.

The Falcons have been dealing with different situations for weeks . First, they fired GM Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn, and now the team’s plans have been disrupted by the outage of Covid-19. A statement was released by the team explaining the situation.

“Out of an abundance of caution following one new positive test, we have made the decision to stop all in-person work at IBM Performance Field Thursday and will conduct all operations virtually. This decision was made in consultation with the NFL and medical officials. The health and safety of our team is our highest priority.”

Atlanta is taking precautions before getting back to the field and waiting for new cases to be confirmed to take action given the circumstances.

Students at Jackson State shared their thoughts about the virus disrupting some major NFL activities.

“It is sad to see how games have to be canceled and fanatics, as well as players, have to wait for results and stay at home because of infections,” said Harry Colon, a graduate student and sports science major from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.

He continued, “I wish that the organization could get a solution to avoid cancellations of games every week, or at least force players to take care of themselves and follow the guidelines. I really want this nightmare to be over.

Last week another similar situation happened with the New York Jets. Jets players, coaches, and staff were sent home right after getting positive Covid test results.

On the other hand, according to the NFL, the Tennessee Titans will receive a fine because of the lack of safety guidelines taken by the team.

There were also incidents of players not wearing masks that caused the review of the behavior by the NFL, and there was insufficient communication regarding player workouts outside of the facility.

“I do not understand how players do not follow the safety guidelines that they are asked to follow if they know that they are playing under those circumstances,” said Azaiah Ambrose, a freshman mathematics major from Natchez, Miss. “Fines are completely fair for those teams or even players that do not show the correct behavior according to the guidelines during this pandemic.”

She continued. “Some players are risking their lives and their family time by being there playing and doing their best while others do not care about following guidelines and rules, and it is just not fair,” she expressed.