NFL chief medical officer 'cautiously optimistic' about upcoming season

As the NFL heads toward September, some have questioned if the league is doing enough to actually pull off a season in 2020. When asked about the league's preparedness, NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said he felt "cautiously optimistic" about the upcoming season.

"I remain cautiously optimistic because we’ve spent a tremendous amount of time and energy with these protocols and preparing, trying to mitigate risk to the best that we can," Sills said, via the Houston Chronicle. "At the same time, we have to realize that this is going to be hard. This is going to be really hard because this is a tough opponent. This virus is a highly contagious virus, and it remained very endemic across our country."

This week, the NFL began testing its players as teams prepare to start training camp. However, it will be difficult for the league to not have any positive cases between now and the end of the season, as the NFL has opted to go the way of the MLB and avoid creating a bubble. The league hopes that rigorous safety protocols and consistent testing will be enough to limit any outbreaks, which could threaten to shut down the season.

Sills also acknowledged that it is highly unlikely that the pandemic will come to an end any time soon and said that the league was committed to playing the entire season under these circumstances.

"As much as we’d like it to go away, I think it’s clear that it’s unlikely to be eradicated at any time in the very near future," Sills said.