The NFL is currently facing a massive outbreak of COVID-19 that has already prompted the league to activate more stringent testing policies. But the NFLPA believes that one NFL game needs to be postponed altogether.
According to ProFootballTalk, the NFLPA is “pushing aggressively” for a postponement to Saturday’s Raiders-Browns game. Per the report, some members of the union believe the entire season needs to be put on hold for a week. PFT noted that the union is concerned for player safety.
The Cleveland Browns are dealing with a rash of COVID-19 positives that have crushed the team. Twenty Browns players are currently in protocol and third-string players are in line to start.
However, the NFL has made no moves to adjust the schedule as of yet. And no plans to do so are in the works as of writing.
Also, the NFLPA is currently pushing aggressively for a postponement of the Raiders-Browns game on Saturday. Some in the union believe the entire season should shut down for a week. The union is concerned about player safety and game integrity.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 16, 2021
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In 2020, the NFL moved the schedule around a little bit as major outbreaks occurred. But other teams were forced to play shorthanded. The Browns and Raiders might be in a similar situation this Saturday.
It isn’t just the NFL that’s facing a new outbreak of COVID-19 though. NBA and college basketball teams are rapidly closing up shop amid new outbreaks in their respective facilities.
We could be facing a shutdown in multiple sports not seen since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. How the NFL and other leagues respond in the days ahead will be very telling as to where we are.
Should the NFL postpone Saturday’s game between the Browns and Raiders?