Could Cincinnati Bengals players end up opting out of the 2020 season?
The idea isn’t so outlandish right now. The NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida, has featured several massive names say “no thanks” to the proceedings in the bubble, such as Avery Bradley and Victor Oladipo.
Over in the NFL, the preseason has already been cut by two games and there is a chance the entire preseason gets cut, which would have interesting schedule ramifications on the Bengals. The NFL could also ask fans attending games to sign COVID-19 liability waivers.
Discussions between the NFL and NFLPA remain ongoing as to the procedures around training camps and the season itself.
One big topic now? Whether players can opt-out of the entire season.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer explained to player reps Thursday the dangers of the virus and players countered by asking the following:
“There is a larger call scheduled for Friday that’s open to all players, not just reps. Sources told ESPN there was plenty of pushback on Thursday’s call from players asking why they are trying to rush back to play if the virus is such a dangerous threat. Players also have been asking what happens to their contracts if they opt not to play for virus-related reasons (as some NBA players already have), what happens if they grow too uncomfortable to play as the season goes on and what happens to next year’s salary cap as a result of lost revenue this year.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk then reported the following:
“The league, per a source with knowledge of the situation, will want decisions to be made before training camp, without an escape hatch once a player signs on. This ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ approach, if it is adopted, could result in more players walking away.”
We’ll know more soon about whether players could end up opting out of the season entirely — players such as rookies and free agents needing to sign deals could end up reporting to team facilities as soon as roughly July 19 before training camps start at the end of the month.
Considering the Bengals could be one of the teams to bring fewer players than usual to training camp, finding out whether players could opt out of the season outright is an important detail to an unorthodox season.
