The 2020 NFL season is expected to start as originally planned, despite the coronavirus that has taken the world by storm.
Even though the show is going to go on, players know that there are some concerns and risks that come with playing in a pandemic.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler expressed how he felt about playing this upcoming season, citing he feels “somewhat like a lab rat to see if this will work or not” and compared playing as a “trial period.”
“I’m not confident in the entire system because it is so contagious,” he said. “There’s a reason we’re going through all these shutdowns and things like that. There’s not been really any progress made as far as containing this thing.”
Players have began to opt out of the season to keep themselves and their family safe. Ekeler does not plan to sit out in 2020.
“The thing is, what I can be is just confident in myself and I know I’m going to try my best to isolate and not be around anybody,” he said. “I’m just taking it day by day and I’m not gonna say that [the 2020 season] can’t happen, but I’m just saying that we need to protect ourselves first before we can continue moving forward.”
