Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack joined a chorus of NFL stars on Sunday in lobbying for owners to agree to safety protocols by the start of training camp.
“NFL, please address health and safety concerns so we can play football this year! #itsonlyright #cantwait,” Mack wrote on Twitter.
Terms of the collective bargaining agreement dictate that players must report to training camp July 28. Rookies can arrive Tuesday, quarterbacks and injured players Thursday. The Texans and Super Bowl champion Chiefs can welcome rookies Monday, though, because they are playing in the regular-season opener on a Thursday night.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association, though, still do not agree on the frequency of coronavirus tests, the details of an opt-out clause and whether or not there will be preseason games.
The union wants players tested daily, while the league has suggested every other day.
A joint medical committee formed by the league and the union recommended a longer acclimation period to make up for the lack of team-driven offseason workouts, but the two sides don’t agree on how that suggestion would be implemented. The NFL wants to play two preseason games, while the union has countered with zero, viewing them as a needless risk.
@NFL, please address health and safety concerns so we can play football this year! #itsonlyright #cantwait
— Khalil Mack (@FiftyDeuce) July 19, 2020
In a coordinated effort Sunday morning, NFL stars began Tweeting with the hashtag #wewanttoplay to put pressure on owners to agree to the NFLPA’s suggestions.
Quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees were among the prominent players to Tweet. Sam Acho, the former Bears linebacker and current NFLPA vice president, wrote that the NFL “waited until the last minute and ignored the recommendations of experts.”
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
The two sides are still negotiating, and the clock is ticking.
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
“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,” NFLPA president J.C. Tretter, the Browns center, said in a tweet. “The NFL needs to listen to our union and adopt the experts’ recommendations.”
