Report: NFL players 'terrified' of playing during coronavirus pandemic

It appears some NFL players are having second thoughts about participating in the 2020 season amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic. 

Insider Mike Freeman is reporting for Deadspin that recent positive virus tests and the outbreak within the Tennessee Titans have some players "terrified" of catching COVID-19. 

"One player said in a text he won’t visit his mom out of fear for giving her the coronavirus," Freeman wrote. "Another worried about becoming a patient zero with close friends."

Freeman added: 

In the end, most players decided the money was worth the risk. So, they play.

Yet there’s been a definite shift in that attitude over the past few months and even weeks, several told me in various interviews, as the virus spreads through locker rooms. Most requested anonymity for fear of angering NFL owners and the league office.

One player told Freeman:

"I think a lot of guys are nervous, because if we get it, or our family gets it, we’re on our own. If we’re still having problems months or years from now, the NFL won’t help us."

A total of 69 players opted out before the start of the season. As Fox Business noted, players deemed "high risk" for the coronavirus received $350,000 stipends. Those viewed as voluntary opt-outs received $150,000 stipends.

Former player and current WEEI personality Christian Fauria made news on Sunday when he explained that he feels some within the NFL are "on the verge of striking" because of the league's inability to keep them safe from the uncontrolled virus outbreak.