JC Tretter is in the middle of it all right now. But that's part of his job description � for both his jobs, really � and he understands it comes with the territory.
Still, for Tretter, the starting center for the Cleveland Browns, this is something he never bargained for when he ran for � and won � an election four months ago to be the new president of the NFL Players Association.
Suddenly, life in the trenches has taken on a whole new meaning, as Tretter and the union he's helping lead � representing nearly 2,000 other players � continue negotiations with the league on a variety of health and safety issues, as well as some weighty economic concerns, with NFL teams scheduled to begin training camp this week in the middle of a pandemic.
The league reaffirmed its plans for business-as-(un)usual Saturday, announcing in a memo to general managers and coaches that reporting dates for rookies and veterans will not change. For 30 teams, including the Lions, rookies report on Tuesday, with veterans due in camp a week later. (Kansas City and Houston � the two teams scheduled for the NFL's Thursday night season opener on Sept. 10 � plan to start camp July 25, with rookies reporting Monday.)
But Tretter and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith both made it clear Friday that there's plenty yet to be decided before players agree to step back on the field for the first time in 2020. And at least one team � the Miami Dolphins � reportedly has pushed back its rookie reporting date until later in the week.
Not coincidentally, Miami is one of the U.S. cities currently dealing with an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. It's one of the reasons the NFLPA held an "emergency" conference call late last week with league officials and team physicians from some of those hot spots, where players have voiced concerns about returning to work.
"How safe is that?" Tretter said Friday on a video conference call with members of the Pro Football Writers Association. "Our job is to hold the NFL accountable and have them answer those questions. How safe is it to start up a football season at this moment with teams in locations in this country that are going through giant spikes of this virus?
"Football isn't (operating) in a bubble like the NBA is. What goes on in our communities has a direct effect on how football works this year, or if it can work this year."
