Cleveland Browns News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Tretter has his concerns about how the NFL plans to play out the next season. Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports

NFLPA president: Coronavirus won't 'kneel down to almighty football'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 5/19/20

On Tuesday, Cleveland Browns center and NFL Players Association President JC Tretter spoke with beat reporters via a Zoom conference call about a myriad of topics, including playing the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 29-year-old realizes things won't be business as usual if there is a football season this fall.

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal noted Tretter's comments throughout the call:

#Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter said there's a "long list of hurdles" to clear before players can return to work at team facilities amid COVID-19 pandemic
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 19, 2020

#Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter said you can't expect the virus is going to kneel down to almighty football, you have to look at new idea to make sure people stay healthy
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 19, 2020

Tretter also responded to the NFL testing special facemasks meant to protect players engaged in on-the-field activities during the pandemic:

#Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter said you explore every idea possible when asked about N95-type masks potentially being built into face masks
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 19, 2020

#Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter said he can't put a percentage on his level of optimism that there will be a 2020 NFL season, he's trying to live in two-week increments because everything is so fluid and you can become paralyzed by hypotheticals
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 19, 2020

#Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter said union has been having bi-weekly calls with players and wives for questions about how everything will proceed amid COVID-19
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 19, 2020

Per Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Tretter realizes playing during the uncontrolled virus outbreak can't be 100 percent safe under any conditions. He also says that the NFL and NFLPA may have to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for a season shortened by the pandemic:

#Browns C JC Tretter & @NFLPA president: "This is a contact disease and we play a contact sport..... There's a long list of ideas we need to come up with to make this environment safe"
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 19, 2020

"I don't think we'll ever get to a point where there's no risk of exposure...our goal is to try to get that as close to zero as possible...every time you leave your house you accept a level of exposure" - #Browns C & @NFLPA president JC Tretter
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 19, 2020

#Browns C & @NFLPA president JC Tretter confirms there would have to be negotiations between NFL & NFLPA per the CBA should COVID-19 force the season to be shortened
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 19, 2020

Meanwhile, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported on Tuesday that there remains no timetable for when players can return to club facilities:

NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills won’t put a timeline on players returning to facilities, saying it depends on “testing, test availability and test reliability” as well as managing exposure to the virus. Says they’re moving in that direction but timeline TBD.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 19, 2020

More must-reads: