The COVID-19 has cancelled and postponed sporting events across the United States, and has even cast doubt as to whether the 2020 NFL season will kickoff on time.
In an era of uncertainty, Houston Texans safety Justin Reid won’t allow the ambiguity to obstruct his preparations, even though he admits the cancellation of the season or delay are somewhere inside his 23-year-old head.
“Yeah, it’s in the back of my mind,” Reid said via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “The way I go about it, I can’t change what happens. I can only be prepared for the situation I’m going to step into. So, to put it simply: I just stay ready.”
Reid is also rehabbing a shoulder that underwent surgery shortly after the postseason concluded with a 51-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs. The social distancing and society’s extended spring break have Reid feeling ancy.
“I hate sitting still,” said Reid. “I don’t like staying at home much even though I am doing that now. I like to always be active.”
If anything were to happen to the season, Reid admits he would focus on completing his management science and engineering degree from Stanford, a discipline he postponed as he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Said Reid: “I would continue to go back to school, chip away at my degree and make progress and stay active.”
Even with the equivocal timelines, the NFL season could still get underway with training camp in July. Teams could have extended training camps and use the preseason to ramp up for a Week 1 kickoff in September. Regardless of what happens with the rest of the world, Reid will be getting himself prepared to play in his third professional season since the Texans drafted him in the third round of 2018.
