Broncos, Seahawks players won't report for in-person voluntary workouts due to COVID concerns
Let the latest standoff between the NFL and NFL Players Association commence.
Cleveland Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter reportedly said during a Friday call with players that they should threaten to boycott in-person offseason workouts organized by teams because of ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per statements released by the NFLPA, players for the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks declared their intentions to do just that.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and Tretter continue to urge all players to avoid voluntary in-person workouts that can begin next Monday.
Pelissero added:
It was expected in late March that the NFL and NFLPA would agree to relax certain health and safety protocols for teams that hit a set percentage of vaccinated personnel, and the league recently sent a memo to teams encouraging players to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots. With coronavirus infections spiking throughout the United States this spring, though, the players may feel they have all the data they need to avoid in-person activities for the foreseeable future.
Fans shouldn't worry at this stage of the process, though, as there is currently no indication negotiations over workouts will have any impact on actual games or the start of the 2021 regular season.
More must-reads: