As former Tennessee Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard continues to wade the waters of free agency, he is working hard behind the scenes in order to help his fellow players.
Woodyard was elected to the NFLPA’s Executive Committee back in March, and as a result he has his finger on the pulse of talks between the league and players in regard to safeguards in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
And one of the potential safeguards being discussed is giving players the option to opt out of the 2020 NFL season entirely if they don’t feel safe playing with Covid-19 still prevalent.
Woodyard, who was a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio, made it clear that while there is no concrete plan in place as far as opt outs go, he believes it’s the right of every player to not play if they don’t feel safe.
Woodyard also states that whether a player opts out or not, they will all first report to training camp. Most training camps are still slated to begin on July 28, with a few exceptions.
One suggestion Woodyard floated out there was having the contract of a player who opts out roll into the next year. Owners would first have to agree to that, though.
As we’ve seen in other sports like the MLB and NBA, players are choosing not to play because of the pandemic, which is totally understandable given the circumstances.
As training camp nears, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see NFL players take the same road — but how the league handles that situation as far as contracts go remains to be seen.
