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Jan 30, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman during a press conference for Super Bowl LIV at the Hyatt Regency. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Richard Sherman: NFL players prepared for positive coronavirus tests

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 6/15/20

After it was learned that Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was among NFL personnel who tested positive for COVID-19 before all players are permitted to return to team facilities amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco 49ers defensive back Richard Sherman told NFL insider Josina Anderson that positive tests are unavoidable.

Anderson shared Sherman's thoughts via Twitter:

Meanwhile, amid a report today that #Cowboys & #Texans players tested positive for CoVID19 & ongoing NFL measures, #49ers CB Richard Sherman said to me: “In general I think we just need to go out there as best we can & live life. I’m just not sure that we can shield....[Cont.]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020

[Richard Sherman cont to me] "...players from something that seems inevitable. Just think about how these protocols just keep raising more questions. Are we testing the bus drivers and their families, the flight attendants & the pilots, the hotel staff, the stadium staff...[Cont]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020

[Sherman Cont.] "...the refs, the refs families, the people that hold the yard-markers 3x a week, you see how deep this goes with contact-tracing? Are you going to fly people in groups of 15 on the plane? Are the young guys not gonna go out all year? I mean this is crazy...[Cont]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020

4/4 [Richard Sherman cont to me] "....There is no way to implement all of these protocols 1000% safely and make it completely foolproof. We just have to do the best we can carefully and respectfully.” #NFL #CoVID19
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020

Sherman:

"In general I think we just need to go out there as best we can and live life. I’m just not sure that we can shield players from something that seems inevitable. Just think about how these protocols just keep raising more questions. Are we testing the bus drivers and their families, the flight attendants and the pilots, the hotel staff, the stadium staff, the refs, the refs' families, the people that hold the yard-markers three times a week, you see how deep this goes with contact-tracing? Are you going to fly people in groups of 15 on the plane? Are the young guys not gonna go out all year? I mean this is crazy. There is no way to implement all of these protocols 1000% safely and make it completely foolproof. We just have to do the best we can carefully and respectfully.”

Anderson added:

Text just now from a top NFL league source on CoVID19-NFL headlines today and if that impacts their thinking on the timeline for the season, "Not to me. The key in my opinion is accurate & timely testing. I (already) assume there will be some positive tests along the way."
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020

The German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga have already returned to action during the uncontrolled virus outbreak, while the English Premier League and Italian Serie A will resume their seasons later this week.

The NBA, NHL, and Major League Soccer all have plans to place players and other personnel at temporary hub sites to limit exposure. MLS is scheduled to begin on July 8, while the NBA may tip-off on July 30. NHL training camps are set to open on July 10.

Similar to the situation with MLB and the MLB Players Association, the NFL and NFLPA haven't yet ironed out all the details for what will likely be a preseason and campaign altered by the pandemic. Training camp sessions are scheduled to begin on time in July.

As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports explained, the league may decrease the number of preseason games that teams play from four to two.

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